Organisers of the Flow Oistins Fish Festival 2025 say this year’s edition was a resounding success, with increased foot traffic and record vendor participation, despite complaints from some quarters about decreased attendance and fewer activities.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Israel Mallet, co-chair with responsibility for marketing, said that more than 150 vendors took part in the festival — the highest number in its recent history.
“We’ve had a great festival this year. We had over 300 people register for the fun run, more than 100 for our Sip, Paint and Jazz event which had limited spaces, and the response across all our events has been very encouraging,” Mallet said.
He highlighted the greasy pole, fish-boning, and dolphin-skinning contests as events that attracted sizeable crowds. “These are festival traditions and community favourites — and they certainly didn’t fail to please.”
Mallet credited the event’s improved turnout to enhanced promotion. He said the publicity campaign included spotlighting vendors on social media, “tagging them, featuring their products, and helping them reach more people.”
However, several longtime participants and competitors disagreed that there was adequate promotion. Flying fish boning champion Jacqueline Norgrove, who won the title for the fourth time, said she found there was not enough done to get the public interested.
“Oistins Festival was dead for me,” she said. “Usually you see more excitement. Yesterday, Sunday, here was very dead. You’d normally have the gospel concert and it would be full of people. The vendors could make more money.”
She said there were usually banners on the road and many posters. “This year, we only air it on the Internet, and that was about two weeks before the festival.”
Tyrone ‘Dolphin’ King, who retained his title in the dolphin skinning competition for a remarkable 20th time with a time of one minute and eight seconds, was vocal about what he saw as a decline in the festival’s energy.
King said, “One time they used to have the boat race. They don’t got no more boat race and I don’t feel good about that. My boat out there sitting down ready to race.”
He said the boat race, which has not been featured at the festival over the past couple of years, used to be a major attraction.
On the other hand, fruit vendor Abba Grimes praised the turnout of both tourists and locals. “It has been going very good,” she said. “We’re on the front line this year, so I would say it’s way better. Last year we were placed in the back so this year being up front gave us more exposure.”
Aquarium fish seller Brian White described his experience as “up and down,” citing broader economic pressures. “Things get more harder and things get more slower. Everything gone up, but I still got my fish at the same price.”
Vendor Ann Harewood said this year was not a good one for her.. Because of the show last night, out here was scanty. Everybody was at Kensington.”
Still, she remained grateful: “Every little counts, and we give thanks. As they would say, every day is fishing day, but not every day is catching.”
Mallet acknowledged the concerns but said the committee sought to balance tradition with innovation.
“Every year, we look to bring back traditions but also merge them with newer things that appeal to younger audiences,” he said. “This year we changed the opening to a street parade, added Pan in the Bay, and featured new bands like Harrison College and O Musique. It’s about showcasing culture, talent and the community.”
All proceeds from the festival go towards supporting the local fishing community, he added. “That’s what brings us together — to serve Oistins.”
Planning is already underway for the 2026 edition, he said. “We’ll do our post-mortem, but you can expect the Oistins Fish Festival next year, and as always, we’ll look to improve.”