This annual festival is held in the historic town of Oistins, Christ Church, traditionally over the Easter weekend, and celebrates the contribution made to Barbados by persons in the local fishing industry. It is a unique attraction offering fun and entertainment including music, crafts and delicious local food for both locals and visitors alike.
The 2025 festival will run from the 18th April (Good Friday) to 21st April (Easter Monday).
A number of exciting events and competitions take place that reflect the spirit of this fishing town. Net throwing, fish boning, Easter bonnet competition, strong man boat pull, fish cake eating competitions, celebrity cook off, card-playing, road tennis, the egg and spoon race and last but certainly not least, the famous grease-pole competition, where daring youth compete to reach the top of a greased pole and claim a prize.
Over the years the festival has added a number of new events such as the Celebrity Cook-Off, Bead, Sip, Paint and Jazz, the Easter Bonnet Making Workshop, Family Movie Night, Beats & Brass, Pan Riddim in de Bay, and Rhythm and Flames, that have kept Oistins Fish Festival vibrant and lively.
Enjoy the sweet sounds of calypso and reggae music coming from the sidewalk stalls, and the sounds of the traditional Barbados tuk band. The food and beverage stalls serve traditional Bajan fare such as fish cakes, fried fish and pudding and souse, which go down well with an ice cold Banks Beer.
In previous years there was a commemorative lecture but in 2022 the lecture was transformed into the Sir Harold Bernard St. John Oistins Idea Lab which platforms discussions on sustainability and the development of Oistins fishing community and Barbados as a whole.
Local arts and crafts can also be found in abundance as talented craftsmen take the opportunity to display their wares.
Learn more about the festvial here
