Turks and Caicos Seafood Festival – October 2014 – National Heritage Month
The Seafood Festival: Part 2 in a five part series about National Heritage Month in the Turks and Caicos Islands
Let’s talk rods, reels, and ripsaws.
No, this is not Mrs. Grimble’s Grade 6 English Class on Alliteration. We’d like to introduce you to the Seafood Festival, a cultural celebration of the sea held on the second weekend in October on South Caicos Island.
In Part 1 of this series we focused on the importance of the salt industry in the Turks and Caicos Islands’ history. As the salt industry dried up, islanders were forced to turn to other means of livelihood. With the availability of resources like fish, they began to focus their energy on fishing. The Seafood Festival held at Regatta Village is a celebration of this piece of island history.
“This is for the community,” says TCI Director of Culture, David Bowen during an interiew with the Turks and Caicos Weekly news published on October 20, 2014. “They can experience what their culture is, their particular style of cooking, their particular style of rake and scrape.”
Events at the Annual Seafood Festival on South Caicos Island
The highlight of the festival is an extensive cooking competition on Saturday featuring the categories of best boil fish, best lobster dish, best fry fish, best stew conch (pronounced “conk”) and best conch fritters. These are all examples of traditional island cuisine that dates back hundreds of years. Residents have fished for what is available to them in the local waters such as grouper and other white fish, and crustaceans like lobster, crab, and conch. Fresh produce has not always been plentiful. Cooks have relied on items like pigeon peas and guinea corn. Traditional dishes include Peas ‘n Grits or Boil Fish and Corn Cakes. Competitors in the festival contest often rely on secret family recipes.
It’s no surprise there is more than one contest category for conch (pronounced “conk”) cuisine. Conch is a national cultural symbol. You’ll find it featured on stamps of the Turks and Caicos Islands and even the coat of arms. It’s a food source, a livelihood and an integral piece of island heritage. While the conch shell is extraordinarily beautiful, it’s the meat inside that is eagerly sought after by cooks. Conch is a very versatile delicacy and chefs enjoy coming up with new and different ways to present it.
In addition to the creative cooking going on at this festival, there are plenty of other activities to mark the occasion. For those wanting to test out their knowledge of island history, there is a culture and heritage quiz.
Dancers show off their traditional costumes and moves while performing the maypole dance, a historic folk dance that goes back hundreds of years. And everywhere you go, music fills the air with wonderful Caribbean rhythms and melodies. The uniquely Caribbean sound of authentic ripsaw music by bands like Full Force will make you tap your toes and leave you with a smile on your face. Ripsaw music literally uses handsaws bent, stroked and manipulated to produce an infectious sound unique to the islands. And, as always, the Gospel Pioneers will be on hand to celebrate island heritage through their choral music at the Gospel Concert on Sunday as they have done at every one of the October heritage festivals for many years.
Getting from Providenciales to South Caicos
Making the short trip from Providenciales to South Caicos is quick 25-minute flight. And regular flight service means you can leave early in the day and come back the very same day, right after the celebrations.
To check schedules visit: interCaribbean Airways or Caicos Express Airways.
So if you’re visiting South Caicos during the second weekend in October, make sure to stop by the Turks and Caicos Seafood Festival. You’ll see the impact that a fishing rod and reel have made to the Turks and Caicos life. You’ll experience the joyful sound that can come from a simple steel saw. You’ll find yourself in the midst of a Caribbean celebration of creative cooking, compelling concerts, and captivating culture.
Where to Stay on Providenciales
Convenient day trips from Providenciales to the various National Heritage Month events make it possible to participate in the rich history of the islands while maintaining a home base on Provo. A quick taxi ride to Providenciales Airport from Villa del Mar, along with convenient flight service to South Caicos, makes this a fun day-long excursion for the whole family.
Check out our special rates for Providenciales accommodations during the Turks and Caicos National Heritage Month.
