Oistins Fish Festival

The Oistins Fish Festival was started in 1977, one year after the Holetown Festival. The founder of the Oistins Festival was Stella, Lady St. John wife of one of Barbados's Prime Ministers. 


The Oistins Fish Festival goals were to improve the economic fortunes of the fisherfolk at Oistins, enhance their social status in the community, raise the entrepreneurial skills of the fisherfolk, and highlight Oistins as a major fishing community.

The Oistins Fish Festival has sought to achieve the above by putting on an annual Easter street fair called the Oistins Fish Festival. It starts on the Saturday before Easter and continues throughout the weekend, ending on the Monday bank holiday.
The Festival has attracted thousands of patrons over the years, both locally and regionally. The real Queen of the Festival has been the winner of the major event of the festival - the Fish Boning Competition. This competition is fiercely competitive and keeps alive one of the major art forms associated with the fishing industry – the boning of fish

Other events that create heightened spectator interest are the Dolphin Skinning Competition, the climbing of the Greasy Pole and the Boat Race. Patrons also look forward to the Gospel Festival on the Easter Sunday.


The festival is a unique attraction that offers fun and entertainment for both locals and visitors alike.


Enjoy the sweet strains of calypso and reggae music coming from the sidewalk stalls. Of course dancing to all that music builds up an appetite, so head for the food and beverage stalls and enjoy traditional Bajan fare such as fish cakes, fried fish and pudding and souse, all washed down with a cool drink.

Local arts and crafts can also be found in abundance as local craftsmen take the opportunity to display their wares.