After hopping off a free shuttle on Saturday afternoon on Anegada, Mary Marston stepped into Sid’s Pomato Point restaurant to sample some lobster and take in the scenic view.
Not only was it Ms. Marston’s first time attending the Anegada Lobster Festival, it was also her first time visiting the island.
“I’m living on St. Thomas now, so it’s just very odd looking out into the horizon and seeing nothing,” she told the Beacon. “It’s both thrilling but also terrifying, because you feel like you’re at the end of the world.”
The three-day festival, which drew more than 1,200 visitors by air and by sea, featured nine participating restaurants that offered lobster samplers ranging from mac and cheese to wontons, fritters, kebabs and more.
BVI Tourist Board Deputy Director Natasha Chalwell described the event as a success, saying it was augmented by organisers’ decision to offer a free shuttle service for the first time this year.
“I think, overall, it went well,” she said. “I think persons appreciated it, especially those that really wanted to hop around, which was the aim of the shuttles.”
The goal for the free shuttle service, she said, was to help with transportation challenges around the island.
“For the amount of people that come over, especially on the Sunday, there’s always that challenge of not being able to move people,” she said, adding, “Once persons are finished with their samplers and their drinks or whatever, they want to move around to the next spot. So that was the aim of this year. It’s just, you know, how can we fill in that gap and make it a more seamless experience for persons participating.”
Ms. Marston said she appreciated the service.
“It’s really nice that they offer the complimentary taxi service, because people can feel free to enjoy themselves and everyone can stay safe,” she said.
Positive feedback
Guests began arriving in Anegada on Friday as restaurants welcomed patrons and geared up for the main two days of the festival over the weekend.
By Saturday morning, Sid’s Pomato Point was hopping, according to manager Izabel Wheatley.
“Since we opened at 10 this morning, people started coming in,” Ms. Wheatley told the Beacon on Saturday. “We’ve been having a good turnout, good feedback. … We are busy, and it’s wonderful.”
She added that she enjoys seeing the crowd of visitors on the island.
Ann Creque, who owns Tipsy — a restaurant and bar located on the western end of the island — told the Beacon on Saturday that the festival was going well so far, adding that she was expecting bigger crowds the next day.
“I think Lobster Fest is just a party vibe, and you get to be able to be introduced to the different kinds of dishes that you can try with lobster and just be able to just party from one bar to the other,” she said. “That’s the excitement about it.”
She also said the festival is a great way to connect with people.
“You get to meet a lot of new people and a lot of different people that you’ve never seen before, or you get a little reunion at the same time,” she said.
Competition
The sampler competition, which was introduced last year, was featured again this year.
However, instead of being judged by a professional chef like last year, patrons voted on the sampler they liked best.
The winner, who will receive the locally made “Alffy Trophy” for best lobster sampler, is to be announced tomorrow.
On Monday, Ms. Chalwell told the Beacon that initial feedback from restaurants was positive.
“Saturdays are sometimes quieter, but they felt like it was busy and that the momentum started from the Saturday,” Ms. Chalwell said.
As seen in previous years, though, Sunday was the busiest day of the festival, she said.
Junior explorer challenge
The event also catered to children.
For the junior explorer challenge, they could tick off the places around the island they visited in a “passport” designed by the BVITB for the festival.
“The idea was to get children and their families to go to the different points of interests around Anegada, and that was included in the passport,” Ms. Chalwell said.
Destinations in the challenge, she said, included the Anegada Rock Iguana Headstart Facility, the flamingo lookout point and Fisherman’s Wharf.
Kids could then turn in the passports for a chance to win prizes.
“I think it’s just a nice thing for families to do,” Ms. Chalwell said, adding that it allowed them to see more than just the island’s beaches and to “get to understand and know Anegada a little bit more.”
The passport was also used by visitors to stamp each participating restaurant where they stopped.
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