Crowds celebrate coconuts at festival
Kingsley Donalds Jr with his coconut musket
(CNS Local Life): With organisers struggling to get people to leave, as fish was still frying in aromatic coconut oil and coconut muskets were still flying well after the 4pm closing time, the Coco Fest, still only in its second year, has claimed its rightful place on the calendar of annual events in Grand Cayman. More than 1,200 people turned up at Pedro St James Saturday, 18 February, to attend the event devoted to celebrating food, drink, and arts and crafts all connected by the Cayman coconut.
From the real thing in all its fresh, natural glory or with a touch of rum, to candles and cosmetics, the diversity of the coconut palm and its nuts were on display with music, food, drink, jewellery and cosmetics, along with the increasingly popular coconut musket stall attracting young and old trying out their hand-eye coordination skills on the range.
“This is our second Coco Fest event and it was a unique blend of family fun and everything Cayman,” explained Pedro St James operational manager Deborah Bodden. “We had a nice display of different foods and products again this year [and] many of the vendors surprised us with some new things like coconut toothpaste and coconut husk bird feeders.”
The day’s activities included staff of the National Museum teaching festivalgoers how to make coconut husk catboats; thatching artisan, the art of braiding the coconut tree limb into elegant pieces of wall art; and how to whip up homemade coconut ice cream.
Coco Fest also helped to raise funds for the Cayman Islands Cancer Society (CICS) with part of the proceeds from admissions going directly to the charity. Funds received will help support the organisation’s voucher programme, which offers free medical vouchers to people who may not be able to afford a visit to the doctor. The CICS also hosted a photo booth, enticing patrons to stop by. In all, CI$845 was raised for the charity.
Coco Fest 2017 was sponsored by the Tourism Attractions Board, Pepsi, Foster’s Food Fair and Cayman National Bank.
For further information on Coco Fest 2017 or to sign up as a future vendor, call (947-3329) or email the Pedro St James office
Category: Culture
that coconut musket thing is so much fun and if the Trump ever comes here we will be ready for him!!