Entertainment from the sea - Ochi Seafood Festival predicted to be big

The fourth annual Ocho Rios Seafood Festival, set for Emancipation Day, Sunday, August 1, at Turtle River Park in Ocho Rios, was launched last Friday at Tropical Vibes Restaurant in the resort town.

The festival is expected to draw a huge crowd as it has done on previous occasions, as Jamaicans treat themselves to sumptuous seafood prepared in many exciting ways.

Added to the feast, the event will climax with a stage show featuring several top reggae acts including: Busy Signal, I-Octane, Mr Vegas, D' Angel, Stacious, Determine, Captain Barkey and Wickerman, Jimmy Riley, Prezident Brown, Junior Cat, PZ, Chuckle Berry, Ken Boothe and Hero.

While admitting to not having "the financial backing or support" of either of the Montego Bay mega events (Reggae Sumfest and the Jazz and Blues Festival), the organisers of the fourth annual Ocho Rios Seafood Festival are confident about delivering what they say will be one of the blockbuster events of the summer.

confident of progress

"It is no secret that we do not have the backing that some of these traditional festivals do," explained Samantha Laing, assistant marketing manager for the Ocho Rios Seafood Festival.

"This has not deterred us by any stretch of the imagination as we are confident that, in time, we too will be attracting all the big name sponsors."

She has listed Digicel, the Jamaica Tourist Board, News Talk 93, the RJR Communications Group and the North Coast Times as confirmed sponsors.

She said she was expecting other sponsors including Tru-Juice, Rum Bar Rum and Red Bull to come on board.

The long-term goal, Laing said, was for the Ocho Rios Seafood Festival to be an integral part of the social and cultural entertain-ment/culinary calendar, "a goal we believe is very achievable".

"This will be a day-night affair and will have a family-oriented theme throughout. There will be a children's area with swings, rides and a bounce-a-bout, while the rest of the park will be decorated with food stalls and display booths."

According to Laing, despite the numerous challenges over the years, the Ocho Rios Seafood Festival has managed to "stay afloat" and is again ready to reclaim its mantra as one of the leading culinary shows in the country.

"Like everything else, we have had our ups and downs, " she said. "I mean the economic climate has been really tough and many of our potential sponsors have been feeling the pinch. We have had to do many adjustments to our marketing strategy and are now comfortable enough to predict that the 2010 edition of the Ocho Rios Seafood Festival will be the biggest and best we have seen so far."