Seventh Rockstone Fish Festival attracts thousands

Despite late advertising, thousands turned out to be a part of the seventh annual Rockstone Fish Festival last weekend.
The adventurous and fun-filled festival was held along the banks of the Essequibo River, and drew people from all walks of life. They hunted, fished and more importantly for some, it was a day to spend with their families and loved ones.
Those who have been attending the festival from the inception agreed that while it has grown over the years, the 2012 activities drew less people than the previous year. They blamed the organising committee for not advertising the event much earlier.
Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Director Indranauth Haralsingh attended the event and reiterated their support for the event. He noted that the GTA has been with the fish festival since 2005, which started with less than 500 persons, adding that over the years, it has grown significantly with respect to vendors, visitors and sponsorship.
He disclosed that it is a unique event since it is the only fish festival in Guyana that is kept at the level of the community, with the aim of developing tourism.
“This is one of the hallmarks of the tourism product and of the Guyana tourism events,” Haralsingh said.
He added that in two consecutive years, Guyana has won the Sustainable Tourism Award in the Caribbean, while underscoring the fact that the festival was held at an opportune time when Guyana is celebrating Tourism Month under the theme, “Rediscover Home”.
“These events and others have allowed Guyana to have greater recognition,” he contended, stating that the GTA has been making recommendations to the Local Organising Committee of the fish festival, to host the event twice yearly, and to have other events since the community is accessible.

The GTA head stated that the Rockstone Fish Festival has been advertised in magazines on Caribbean Airlines incoming flights, but admitted that this was not enough. He also stated that while the festival has the potential to attract people from the Caribbean and farther afield, the GTA and the Tourism Ministry have to work on a package that will motivate people to attend, not only the fish festival, but other tourism-based activities.
Several patrons at the event shared their sentiments with Guyana Times International.
Family outing
One patron explained that he returned from the U.S. to be a part of the fun and excitement. The man stated that he was always a lover of fishing and hunting, and also used the opportunity to spend time with his family.
While many have been attending the festival on a yearly basis, one Georgetown resident stated that it was his first experience at the fish festival, and he enjoyed every minute of it. He was at the event with his wife and three children.
A group of men, who claimed that they were at the festival for the fun, highlighted that the experience was not like the previous years. One of them explained that the water has become polluted, and it is more obvious that people fish all year around, so by the time the festival comes around, the area does not have enough to catch.
Meanwhile, before the announcement of the winners, there were several cultural pieces performed by mainly children, along with a mango eating competition. There was also the de-boning competition, which saw a young man taking less than five seconds to complete the job. He was awarded Gy$10,000 and a trophy for his skills.