Organisers of the Oistins Fish Festival Committee say the festival is in need of a secretariat to assist in the planning and staging of the annual event.
Speaking at the launch yesterday at the Oistins Bay Garden, Dr. Dan Carter, Deputy Chairman of the Oistins Fish Festival Committee, noted that a secretariat can assist the committee in doing the clerical work that is plentiful in the months before the annual festival. Additionally, he said an office space in Oistins from which that entity could operate from, is also a necessity.
“We are hoping to put a plan to Government along that regard,” he indicated yesterday.
Dr. Carter’s comments came just moments after he acknowledged that he and Chairman, Herbie Yearwood, have always hoped to approach Government to have the event recognised as a national festival. Yearwood agreeing with the deputy chairman’s statements, said while they are grateful for being placed on the calendar of events promoted by the tourism authorities, they need assistance as the bulk of the work falls to him and Carter.
“We haven’t even got a good headquarters from which we can do these things, just an old place there that belongs to the fishermen. It is time that something is done about getting some assistance in that area,” he contended.
He said however that the National Cultural Foundation, the Sanitation Service Authority and the National Conservation Commission have been good to the festival and he thanked them for their ongoing support.
Earlier during his presentation, the partner and sponsorship coordinator, Alex McDonald lamented that while for all intents and purposes it is a national festival and is quite popular, attracting in the region of 40 000 persons annually over the Easter weekend, the festival has not been so designated, and as such, no state resources are allocated free of cost to assist in putting on the event.
“All of the resources you see being deployed in Oistins are being paid for through what is being raised at the festival. A lot of the money that is raised then goes out to pay for all of the ancillary services,” he said.
He went on to commend the private sector for answering the call to provide sponsorship for the festival this year, noting that while they want to be recognised by the Government, they do not want to be dependent on Government.
“It has not been dependent on Government for 40 years to run the festival; what we are hoping for is that the designation be given so that you are able to access some of the resources in terms of not having to pay for some of the infrastructural things and also to make sure that there are some mandates given about how the festival is treated,” he said. (JRT)