Government minister and Christ Church South MP Dr Shantal Munro-Knight has pledged improved marketing and deeper community engagement to boost participation in the Flow Oistins Fish Festival in time for its 50th anniversary.
She made the pledge amid vendors’ complaints of poor sales at the event, and she too expressed concern about declining patronage.
Dr Munro-Knight promised to work with the committee next year on stronger marketing to raise awareness of the festival, and stressed its importance to Oistins’ heritage and culture.
“It is really important to be able to support all of the vendors and small businesses that are here. We really want Barbados to come out and support what will be happening next year and on Monday, the final day of the festival,” she said.
The member of parliament said the milestone celebration would place strong emphasis on honouring fisherfolk and reviving traditional elements such as costumes, floats and dancers.
“I want to promise that 50 years for this festival will be grand. I see a lot of things happening. I see big floats happening again. I see more portrayals of some of the critical elements of the festival, particularly of our fisherfolk,” she said.
The MP explained that reversing waning public interest would require a renewed national focus on cultural appreciation, including greater involvement of young people and schools.
“That is something that government is committed to as a whole, and is something that we have to relook at to make sure that we are marketing and communicating correctly. The involvement of young people and schools we are going to have to ensure that we embed a bit more to encourage more people to continue to come out,” she said.
Dr Munro-Knight made the comments while serving as head judge for the Dionna Browne-Findlay Easter Bonnet parade, where she also suggested expanding participation to include older children and women. The competition currently caters to children aged three to seven and eight to 11.
Now in its fifth year, the parade featured a vibrant display of creativity, with contestants showcasing bonnets inspired by traditional festival themes, including flying fish, underwater scenes and the Mother Sally character.
Dante Yearwood won the three-to-seven category, followed by Arriel Hunte and Reef Riis in second and third place, respectively.
In the eight to 11 category, Amyrah Boyce took top honours, with Legacy Goddard second and Kimaria Allen Farrell third.
