As part of St. Lucia’s 2016 independence celebrations,
the Southern Tourism Development Corporation
(STDC) will be hosting an International Food Fair
and Banana Festival on February 21, 2016 at Vieux
Fort’s Philip Marcellin Grounds.
The event will include culinary demonstrations by renowned chefs, various countries' cuisines, a banana exhibition pavilion providing a visual and interactive history of the banana from field to table, a menu of banana dishes, confectionery and drinks, and an entertainment package of music, dance, fashion, and cultural presentations.
The International Food Fair has been an annual flagship event of STDC since the corporation’s inception in 1998, and one many people nationwide looked forward to. However, for unclear reasons, the event was discontinued in 2009. But with a rejuvenated membership body, a new Board of Directors and new management staff, STDC decided to not only resume the culinary event this year but to turn it into a bigger and better affair.
The Banana Festival as part of this year’s Food Fair represents one of the ways in which STDC is attempting to transform the food fair into a richer experience.
With the Banana Festival, STDC hopes to promote an understanding and appreciation of the importance of the banana fruit to human health and nutrition and to the socioeconomic and infrastructural development of St. Lucia. STDC also hopes that the festival will help encourage the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables thereby increasing demand for local produce and helping to combat the high incident of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
The Banana Festival will include the banana pavilion, which will take patrons on a journey where, by means of physical exhibits, print images, 3d animations, and video presentations, they will learn and experience banana landscapes, the history of the banana industry in St. Lucia, the journey of the banana from field to table, the many banana varieties, their myriad uses and byproducts, and their health and nutritional value.
For more information:
STDC International Food Fair and Banana Festival
Tel: 454-3822 / 454-6544