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What is Gouyave Fish Friday Festival?

The idea of a Gouyave Fish Friday Festival has been under discussion for a long time. In 2004, as plans were progressing well towards the realisation of this project, Hurricane Ivan and its devastation made it impossible to proceed. In recent months, fresh efforts have been made to revive the idea and make it a reality, especially since it is recognised that such a Festival could create significant opportunities and contribute directly to the national reconstruction process

The vision

The overall goal of the Festival is to promote community development in Gouyave and in the overall Parish of St. John's by promoting Gouyave as a “Fish Village”, with the continued celebration of the annual Fisherman's Birthday on 29 June, and with a weekly street festival to be held on Friday afternoons and evenings.

The specific objectives of the Gouyave Fish Friday Festival are to:

Create and diversify income opportunities, and generate income for the people of St. John's.
Contribute to the overall promotion and development of the fishing sector in the Parish of St. John's.
Create linkages with other sectors of the economy, including agriculture and culture.
Bring visitors to Gouyave, and market Gouyave as a place for quality entertainment and recreation, for the benefit of Grenadians and visitors.
Focus on the development and marketing of diverse fish products that add value to local production.

In order to achieve its objectives, the Festival and all its components should:

Be integrated into the economic, social and geographic fabric of Gouyave and St. John's.
Focus on the town of Gouyave.
Be well planned and well organised.
Build on the activities and businesses that currently exist.
Focus on people with low income and people who do not have other economic opportunities.
Pay attention to the special needs and conditions of women and youth.
Involve people who are currently involved in small business activities as well as people who are not.
Ensure that new opportunities are created without displacing or excluding existing businesses.
Be sustainable, with short, medium and long-term plans.
Have strict standards of quality that make the product competitive and bring full consumer satisfaction.

In order for this project to succeed, the whole community should benefit and should be involved in planning and developing the Festival. In addition, special efforts are being made and will continue to be made, at the planning and implementation stages, to prevent and mitigate the negative social impacts that are often generated by events of this kind.

The concept

The Gouyave Fish Friday Festival will have the following characteristics.

With respect to location :

The entire town of Gouyave will be developed and promoted as the location for the Festival.
The Festival will however centre on three new “poles” of activity, in various locations in the town, where only controlled vending activities will take place, and where the focus will be on the sale of diverse fish products. These new poles will be: St. Francis Street, Chapel Lane and the Jetty area, while existing activities at the Pool area will be enhanced and managed as part of the overall Festival.
The new poles are located in areas where there is little or no vending activity currently taking place, in order to avoid displacing and competing with existing businesses.
The new poles are also located away from the main roads, in order to allow for the flow of traffic in the case of an emergency.
In the first instance, two of the new locations will be developed, namely St. Francis Street and Chapel Lane, while the Jetty area will be developed at a later stage.
The Pool area will be managed and promoted as an entertainment area with craft vending.
The Police, using the same routes as those normally used on 29 June, will organise vehicular traffic.
Several areas are available for parking, and parking will be properly organised and regulated.

Institutional arrangements

All organisations involved in the design of this project have agreed that its success depends, to a very large extent, on the way it will be managed, and on the establishment of suitable institutional arrangements. It has therefore been decided that:

A new organisation should be given the mandate to manage the event.
This organisation should be a not-for-profit company established under the Companies Act.
This new organisation will have both individual and institutional membership. Institutional membership will be open to existing organisations and groups that are involved in community development activities directly related to this project. Individual membership will be offered to persons who have specific skills and resources to offer to the planning process and to the on-going management of the activity.
The organisations that already have specific mandates in development activities in Gouyave, especially the Ministry of Health and the Police, will retain their responsibilities and should be directly involved in planning and managing the event.

For the purpose of planning this event, a Management Committee has been established, comprising two representatives of each of four organisations, namely: the Gouyave Improvement Committee, the Gouyave Sailing Committee, the St. John's Social and Cultural Organisation, and the St. John's Fishermen's Association. The Committee also includes the Police and the Ministry of Health, and will co-opt additional members as required. The Grenada Community Development Agency (GRENCODA) is serving as the convener and facilitator of the Committee. This committee has since been expanded to incorporate other interest groups involved in sports, culture, agriculture etc.

The Committee was formally established in March 2005, and its responsibilities include:

1. Identifying and recommending the exact locations of the proposed new “poles”.

2. For each of these locations, drawing a precise layout with measurements and developing a detailed list of equipment and facilities needed at each location.

3. Formulating the terms and conditions:

a. For concessionaires and vendors at the new “poles”.

b. For vending and other activities outside the new “poles”

4. Formulating and implementing a strategy for involving the broader community in planning and implementing this project.

5. Identifying the training needs and implement the training program approved by USAID/CARANA.

6. Recommending permanent institutional arrangements for the management of the Festival.

7.The Committee has secured the services of a legal expert who is assisting with the drafting of the by-laws of the proposed not-for-profit company that will assume responsibility for the management of the Festival.

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