Anguilla's Festival Del Mar Celebrates the Sea

Anguilla's Festival Del Mar Celebrates the Sea
The festival, an epicurean celebration of all things from the sea, is hosted in the picturesque fishing village of Island Harbour, located on the eastern tip of the island. Locals and visitors are treated to a multiplicity of seaside activities, including swimming races, crab races, a culinary competition and more.

Organized by the community of Island Harbour, the Festival del Mar will feature more than 30 local vendors, each showcasing their most traditional and popular seafood dishes from lobster and crayfish to shark and saltfish, to name a few. Making its culinary debut this year will be the lionfish, an invasive species that local restaurants have repurposed as a delicious addition to the menu of seafood options available.

Events begin at 10 a.m. each day with the main culinary demonstrations and competition scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. Saturday evening features events and entertainment lasting until 11:30 p.m. when the “Into the Blue” Music Festival takes center stage. The highlight of the weekend's activities is, however, Anguilla's national sport, boatracing. Two races are held over the Festival period, featuring both the B-Class and the A-Class boats.

With a history deeply tied to the sea and its cuisine, Anguilla is widely recognized as the culinary capital of the Caribbean with more than 100 restaurants on the 35 square-mile island.

Festival Del Mar is co-sponsored by the Anguilla Tourist Board and the Department of Youth & Culture, and offers another great reason for visitors to come to the island and experience “Tranquility Wrapped in Blue”. With the addition of direct flights provided by Cape Air, Anguilla Air Services, Anguilla Air Express, Tradewinds Aviation and Seaborne Airlines; as well as scheduled and private ferry services and a late-night ferry service out of St. Maarten, visitors now have more travel options to get to this annual event. These services complement the regularly scheduled flights to St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport by major North American airlines, including American Airlines, Air Canada, United Airlines and WestJet.

For more information, please visit https://ivisitanguilla.com/festival-del-mar/