2016 Middle Caicos Crab Festival

Turks and Caicos Land Crab Festival on Middle Caicos

Saturday June 25, 2016 marks the 6th annual Middle Caicos Crab Festival, a celebration of all things crab, a culinary and cultural event that includes a crab catching event where the objective is to get as many of these creatures into a box as you can.

Turks & Caicos Land Crabs

This very popular event at Bambarra Beach, which began in 2010, is a cultural festival focusing on crab season.

As the 2016 Middle Caicos Crab Festival facebook event page says, CrabFest is all about “spotlighting the cultural heritage of catching, cooking and eating local land Crabs.”

From May to July on Middle Caicos Great Blue land crabs emerge from their deep burrows. They do so throughout the islands, but because there are fewer residents and extensive bush area on Middle Caicos, these fascinating land creatures traditionally thrive here.

Crab Catching Fun on Middle Caicos

There’s all kinds of activities when the action kicks off at 10:00 a.m. The highlight of the day, though, is definitely the crab catching event where participants use their skills (and perhaps bravery) to catch as many crabs as they can and transfer them into a cardboard container for final counting before a judge. Now anyone who has ever tried this task will know it takes a good dose of daring, determination and dexterity to get the job done. For one thing, that big detachable claw can really smart.

Catching methods vary: some grip the two back legs; other grab from the rear of the shell. Experienced crab catchers can box up quite a few of these Caribbean critters like one crew in 2012 who captured 19 crabs in two minutes.

Getting There and CrabFest Activities

Here is a small preview of the music that you may experience during the 2016 CrabFest event.

CrabFest is a day to celebrate island culture and community. If you’re visiting Providenciales, take the Caribbean Cruisin’ ferry to North Caicos which leaves regularly from Walkin Marina. It’s about a 25 minute ride to Sandy Point North Caicos and then you drive over the causeway to West Caicos.

Festival events include face painting, craft vendors and performances by local musicians. Island chefs showcase their creative crab cuisine. It’s a crab lovers’ paradise; there’s crab and rice, crab with grits, crab soup, crab salad and crab cakes.

So if you’re visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands in June, make your way to Bambarra Beach to CrabFest for more than a “pinch” of fun….and don’t forget your cardboard box. For more information email: crabfestmiddlecaicostci@gmail.com

More Information and Accommodations

Read more about the Middle Caicos Crab Festival and the beauty of Bambarra Beach on Middle Caicos. For last minute deals on Grace Bay beach area accommodations telephone Villa del lMar direct at 877.345.4890