Oistins Fish Festival
Oistins - popular legend says that the name is a corruption of "Austin's" - is a small fishing village and tourist hangout in Southern Barbados and is perhaps most well known for its annual Fish Festival.
Once a year - during an otherwise fairly peaceful Easter weekend - tourists and locals alike get together to celebrate the area's fishing industry and, of course, to sample simply amazing fish dishes like flying fish cutters - sandwiches - fish-stuffed breadfruit rolls and Bajan salt fish cakes.
This doesn't, however, mean that fish is off the Oistins' menus for the rest of the year, and, in fact, every Friday night in Oistins will see everyone enjoying the weekly fish fry. The annual Fish Festival has, however, become so well known that it has promoted this previously shy and retiring fishing village to the rank of second most popular tourist spot on the island.
Fancy fish dishes are not the only things visitors to the Oistins Fish Festival will find fascinating, however, and, while festival-goers feast on fish and listen to the soothing strains of cool and laidback reggae, jazz and calypso performances, they can also feast their eyes on the colorful content of the local jewellery, arts and crafts stalls.
The competitions are, however, among the most popular of the numerous festival events, and people come from far and wide to observe - and eagerly participate in - such fun activities as pole-greasing and fish-deboning and cleaning. Visitors can also try their luck at racing - either by boat or by crab - and there are also several traditional fishing competitions to be enjoyed. The spectacular flame swallowing competitions serve to liven things up and should entrance the extremely adventurous.
Where there is fine food and music in the Caribbean, there is usually also dancing, and festival-attendants will, no doubt, be encouraged to dance the night away under the swaying palm trees. During the festival is also the ideal time to sample some of Barbados's finest beverages including ice cold Banks beers, Mount Gay rum punches and cocktails with intriguing names like Caribbean Grid Lock, Gay Marine and La Bomba Negra.
The Oistins Fish Festival is a feast that should not be missed, and anyone travelling to Barbados during Easter should make a point of making a pilgrimage to this small southern fishing village that is making such a splash in international tourism.
