Turks and Caicos Conch Festival kicks off this month

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PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands: The Fourth Annual Turks & Caicos Conch Festival kicks off at noon on Saturday, November 24 with a full line-up of events and activities all afternoon to celebrate the islands’ most famous delicacy, historical icon, and number one export. The beachside event will be held in Blue Hills.

More than 20 local restaurants will be participating in the marquee event – the “conch-etition” - to judge who are the best conch chefs and win big cash prizes. An entry fee of just $15 gives visitors a chance to sample all the dishes and a vote for the Best in Festival award. Celebrity judges will judge the winners in categories for best chowder, salad and specialty dishes, including Chef Dean Max from 3030 Ocean in Fort Lauderdale, Chef Clay Conley of Azul in Miami, and renowned food and travel writer Jen Karetnick. Tasting begins at noon sharp and runs to 5 pm.

Aqua Restaurant will be back to defend their 2006 title and hold on to the coveted trophy that has adorned their bar since last year.

But the competition will be better than ever with the likes of local Blue Hills favorites Boogaloo, The Conch Shack, and Horse Eye Jacks in the mix. Meanwhile the heavy hitters from the “up island” in the Grace Bay area will be on hand, too – Beaches, Parallel 23 (The Regent Palms), Hemingway’s (The Sands), Iguana, Club Med, Anacaona (Grace Bay Club), Simba, Sharkbite, Bay Bistro, Mango Reef and Danny Buoy’s.

And, a strong contingent from the downtown area -- Bernie’s, Hole in the Wall, Tres Amigos, Tasty Temptations, Hey Jose’s and Elite Restaurant -- will look to bring the trophy and prize money back with them.

“The Conch Festival keeps getting bigger and better and we’re expecting a great turnout for all the events. We’ve gotten great support from all the restaurants and hotels and it has really shaped up to be a true competition of pride and skill,” said Festival president Mike Sottak. 

Besides the always delectable restaurant competitors, this year’s event features three live bands, including Lee Forbes and The Force, the Island Boyz and world renowned Junk-a-Noo, with two separate rushes during the Festival.

The speed and grace of TCI’s famous native sloops will be on display with three races in the waters off Blue Hills. The races begin at 2 pm with raffle-style wagering available on all three class events. 

You don’t have to be a chef to win prizes as there will be special Conch Competitions for conch blowing, conch knocking and a conch hunt in the sea. In the conch knocking contest, the winning performance will be submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records to establish a new world standard for the speed and skill of extracting the slimy creature from its beautiful shell.

The islands’ best conch fisherman will get a chance to show their skills, too, with a contest to find the most conch in a one-hour period. Adding excitement to the hunt is a specially-marked ‘bonus’ conch that, if found, will net the winner a special cash prize.

The island best bartenders will be on display too, with a Mojito-making competition sponsored by Bacardi. The islands’ finest mixologists will compete to see who makes the best Mojito, that tasty Cuban concoction of rum, mint and sugar.

The Conch Festival is family friendly event with plenty of games and activities for the kids, including the Department of Culture and Youth’s David Bowen running his famous kids games on the beach and showcasing some local culture. There will be bouncy castles and cartoon characters, and maybe even a cameo appearance by “you know who” from the North Pole, who comes calling just a month after the Conch Festival.

The Rotary Club of Providenciales continues its tradition of letting one lucky Conch Festival guest walk away with $10,000. The Club is selling tickets for its annual Pot-of-Gold Draw at the event with the drawing taking place at 5:30 pm.

Residents planning on attending the Conch Festival should plan on carpooling or using some form of shared transportation. Satellite parking will be available at Clement Howell High School, with shuttle service available to and from the event venue at Three Queen’s Bar & Restaurant. A shuttle service will also be available from the major hotels in the Grace Bay area