FIRST CAME jerk, then came Bussu and on Sunday the Manchioneal Fish Festival became the third culinary stop on the Portland landscape.
Hundreds of people turned out for the inaugural Fish Festival held at the Manchioneal All-Age School near the St. Thomas border
"This show will assist in highlighting the cultural heritage of this parish," said Dr. Donald Rhodd, Member of Parliament for Eastern Portland, who officially opened the festival.
"This inaugural fish festival is also apart of broader programme to promote the cultural heritage of Portland. We already have the Boston Jerk festival, which has grown to be the largest community-based festivals in Jamaica, we would like to see several other community-based festivals in our parish. We have the Bussu festival in the Buff Bay area and we are going to be working on for next year a festival to promote the cultural heritage of the Rio Grange Valley."
Sunday's festival attracted vendors from afar like Icilda and Cherry Dunkley, shrimp vendors from St. Elizabeth. "Things are a bit slow now and we came as we heard it on the radio," explained Icilda.
Shrimp, lobster, fish and conch were some of the sea food on display along with jerk chicken and pork was available.
In addition to fish, conch, and other sea food, the festival included cultural presentations and dances like Bruckins, Dinki Mini and Quadrille.
