Nassau, The Bahamas - The Downtown Nassau Partnership in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources announce the first Great Bahamian Seafood & Wine Festival scheduled for May 28-29 with a gala event at Jacaranda House on the 28th and an all-day, all-out festival at Junkanoo Beach east, just west of the British Colonial Hilton, on Saturday, May 29. More than 15 restaurants are offering seafood specials for a week leading up to the event. Sponsors and organizers are pictured. Seated front, l-r, Inga Bowleg, John Bull; Vaughn Roberts, Managing Director, Downtown Nassau Partnership (DNP); Sen. Hon. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism and Aviation; Charles Klonaris, DNP Director; Vernice Walkine, Director General Ministry of Tourism & DNP Co-chairman, and Ancilleno Davis of The Nature Conservancy. Back row, l-r, Pablo Torres, General Manager, British Colonial Hilton; Norman Reiach, The Signman; Adrian La-Roda, Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance; Keith Daley, Department of Marine Resources; Adjuah Cleare, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture; Chef Michael Adderley, Atlantis and Bahamas Culinary Association, Jannifer Thurston, Kalik Brand Manager, Burns House; Kimani Smith, Bristol Wine & Spirits; Gillian Watson, arts coordinator and Enrico Garzaroli, Graycliff. Not pictured: Diane Phillips & Associates. (Photo by Derek Smith, Bahamas Information Services). For more information, www.Bahamas.com, click on seafood festival.
9 Days of restaurant specials, one weekend of outdoor festival
Downtown Nassau Partnership, Tourism Announce High-energy, Week-long Seafood Festival
Calling it a recipe for success that has cooked up excitement in coastal towns around the world, the Downtown Nassau Partnership (DNP) today unveiled plans for a Great Bahamian Seafood Festival involving hundreds of dishes, thousands of patrons and guests – local and foreign – and at least 15 fine dining restaurants in Nassau.
The festival, set for the weekend of May 28-29, is a joint promotion between the DNP, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources. Festival site is the open waterfront immediately west of the British Colonial Hilton on West Bay Street. Among those present for the announcement at the British Colonial Hilton were Minister of Tourism Sen. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, DNP Managing Director Vaughn Roberts and Chairman of the Nassau Tourism Development Board Charles Klonaris.
“Great cities have great festivals,” said Klonaris, citing the examples of West Palm Beach where more than 280,000 festival-goers packed the revitalized waterfront for Sunfest last week and South Beach where a four-day festival raised more than $2 million for charity. “Downtown should have a vibrancy that extends its life beyond the 9 to 5 with wide options on things-to-do, places-to-see and people-to-meet. Festivals and events are important for the proper functioning of cities. The Great Bahamian Seafood & Wine Festival is designed to celebrate the rich marine resources of The Bahamas, as well as our fervent passion for food, wine and entertainment. Our visitors share a similar passion. We have a great opportunity to showcase the best of The Bahamas in way that dazzles our visitors, excite our people and enhance the quality of life for all.”
Vanderpool-Wallace called events like the upcoming festival “tie-breakers,” the enticement that drives visitors to choose one destination over another when considering travel plans.
According to Roberts, who heads the organization charged with spearheading the revitalization of historic Nassau, the festival’s timing is critical.
“The Great Bahamian Seafood & Wine Festival will celebrate our passion for food, wine and entertainment and offer chefs, caterers and restaurateurs opportunities to showcase seafood cuisine as a part of the Bahamian cultural experience,” said Roberts, who is also serving as festival chairman. Timing of the festival was set to coincide with the first American holiday of the summer, Memorial Day, a symbolic kick-off that is traditionally one of the biggest travel weekends for North America.
“From the moment we introduced the idea of a seafood festival, the response was overwhelming. We started with a few restaurants and we have been adding names every day. Not only is this an opportunity to showcase the seafood of The Bahamas – conch, crawfish, grouper, mahi-mahi-, snapper and more – but by creating an event within an event, Restaurant Week leading up to the festival, we are able to showcase our cuisine in a way that boosts business over a wide area, creating a memorable experience that patrons will talk about for years to come.”
While the main festival site on Saturday, May 29 is at the edge of historic Nassau, participating restaurants throughout New Providence and Paradise Island are joining the festivities by offering special dishes and fixed price menus from May 22-30.
The festival kicks off Friday, May 28, with a gala event at The Jacaranda House on Parliament Street from 7 – 11 pm. Jacaranda is one of Nassau’s historic landmarks, built by Sir George Campbell Anderson in c. 1840s. Some 500 guests are expected to attend, each paying $125 for a full night’s food, entertainment, dancing, art exhibits and a silent auction. “Guests will experience seafood prepared by signature restaurants and professional caterers, wine recommendations by wine experts, a sushi bar, music and dancing, chef demonstrations, a dessert and coffee lounge, art exhibition and auction,” said Roberts. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force Pop Band and the legendary Ronnie Butler are on tap for entertainment.
Saturday’s events include a Blessing of the Fleet ceremony at 11 am, farmers’ market, fishermen’s wharf, conch cracking competition, fish scaling and fried fish station, culinary competitions and mixology competitions. The Department of Marine Resources along with the Bahamas National Trust and BREEF will present information on the lionfish control project and The Nature Conservancy will staff another environmental exhibit. A separate Kids Zone will be set up.
Participating restaurants include three in hotels -- Aqua in the Hilton, Black Angus at the Wyndham Nassau Resort and The Bahamian Club at Atlantis. Independent upscale restaurants include Graycliff, August Moon, Poop Deck (East and West), Provence, Travellers Rest, Café Matisse, Luciano’s of Chicago, Seafront Sushi, Van Breugel’s and Indigo.
“This is one week we hope everyone will celebrate our fishing culture, rich marine resources and our passion for food. The festival is a great opportunity to experience the flavour and pulse of The Bahamas,” said Roberts.
For more information, contact the DNP at 326-0992 or e-mail vroberts@downtownnassau.org.
