The Tobago Festivals Commission is making final arrangements for a successful staging of the annual Tobago Blue Food Festival.
On Thursday, updates on the event’s preparations were shared during a press conference held at the Office of the Chief Secretary.
Tobago Festivals Commission Chief Executive Officer Kern Cowan boasted that the Tobago Blue Food Festival is rated 9th as one of the greatest culinary festivals in the Caribbean. He told the media the Commission took note of hiccups experienced during last year’s event and has worked to address them.
“Our logistical movements with our shuttle service, with our parking zones and all of those things. So we focused heavily in ensuring that we come with a more robust support for patrons to ensure that the patron experience remains premium. We have since developed six parking zones to improve the number of cars that we can accommodate throughout the entire festival.”
Mr. Cowan assured a premium shuttle experience is guaranteed for patrons.
“Shuttles will start from 9am and will go throughout the day until 3pm and locks off at 4pm coming in. We’re managing it going back out just the same way where we have all of those shuttle zones labelled so you will see signage for all of the zones and their respective maxis that will take you back to those zones. On the designated times which will be returning at 6:30, 7, and 8pm.”
The space is also now outfitted with infrastructure to ensure comfort for patrons and vendors.
“From a water management point of view it is well articulated. There are also underground trenches for electrical so the site in itself is also currently equipped with water and electricity for the very first time. We have currently booths to accommodate to 22 vendors and those vendors come from the areas of L’anse Fourmi, Bloody Bay, Parlatuvier and we are also supporting with another set of booths on the recreational ground to have the craft vendors, 41 vendors on that side, and then food vendors, we have 38 vendors.”
The TFCL’s CEO explained that they see a sustainable offering with the new infrastructure.
“The site will be multi-use. There would be different things that will now be done at the site. I can see camping but I can see a wedding in the rainforest. That’s what the site can do. I can see different other cultural events, parties, different things. Let your imagination take you on a journey.”
The annual Tobago Blue Food Festival will be held on Sunday, October 19th.