Interest in Oistins Festival ‘high’

Organisers have reported a successful year for the Flow Oistins Fish Festival 2023 which welcomed thousands of patrons over the Easter weekend. And though there were mixed reviews from some quarters, the organisers say there were more vendors than in the past and a high level of sponsorship support.

Speaking to the media during the closing hours of the festival on Monday, Chairman of the Oistins Festival Organising Committee, Toni Thorne, said the interest in the festival after the heavy restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly high, as vendors and sponsors turned out in their numbers.

“We had a record number of vendors this year. We have never had a waiting list. This year we were fully subscribed from the time we had our payment date, but we had a waiting list, so we tried to accommodate persons on the waiting list. We definitely had a record (number of) vendors.

“We also had record support from corporate Barbados, because 99 per cent of the events for the festival are free of cost. What pays for all of these events for persons to come out and re-patronise the vendors, are the vendors and corporate Barbados. So we are very pleased about that.”

Thorne also said that given the heavy emphasis on community involvement in the festival, a number of traditional events were re-added to the schedule as a result of input from vendors and other stakeholders from the Bay Garden and Oistins communities.

“This would really be in essence our second year because last year we had a COVID-restricted festival, so a lot of the traditional events that we would have done, we could not do. We have all of the traditional events back and we have added events. For example we have added the Great Tray Race, which used to be done decades ago. After some stakeholder meetings with the fisherfolk and the Oistins Bay Garden community as well as our usual vendors and just regular people, we decided to bring that back.”

When a team from Barbados TODAY visited the area on Monday afternoon, scores of patrons were making their way through the various stalls which lined the streets of the fishing community. However, according to one vendor who gave her name as Ms Powell, sales were mixed for her souvenirs business.

“Once upon a time you could not pass here. They had real people, ringing people, especially on Sundays and Mondays, the heaviest days. I thought the crowd would have been bigger after COVID you know, everybody wants to get back out right, so I thought the crowd would have been bigger.”

Owen Waldron, who has sold plants at the festival for a number of years, said the weekend was a great one for him, though sales could have been better.

“My weekend was awesome. I always liked Oistins Fish Festival. I usually don’t stay on Sundays because that is my Holy day, but other than that I like the weekend.

“I will be honest, the sales were not as much, but I can understand the situation with how life is now. Everybody looking for food, not plants, and I does sell plants.”

Richelle Taylor, who is a co-owner of Cherly’s Designs which sells handmade fashion accessories and soft furnishings, told Barbados TODAY however that sales for her products were exceptional.

“This is our fourth year at Oistins. Coming out of COVID, this has been a very good pick up, the interest was there, the sales were steady, so I was very pleased with the outcome.” (SB)