The quiet settlement of Smith's Point, Grand Bahama will come alive on Friday February 28 when the pirates land! Capitalizing on their very popular Wednesday Fish Fry, the six bars and restaurants at Smith's Point will open on Friday for a special Pirate Night BBQ. Tourists and locals alike are expected, dressed in pirate costume to enjoy delicious BBQ and dance the night away at this beachside settlement street party. Photo courtesy of Outriggers Restaurant

The quaint settlement of Smith’s Point on the southern shores of Grand Bahama comes alive one night a week, for their famous Wednesday Night Fish Fry. Thousands of tourists and locals alike descend on Smith’s Point to eat fish and dance until the wee hours. From the original intention of just raising money to build their church, the Fish Fry has become internationally famous and attracts locals and tourist alike.

The business people, while happy with their success on a Wednesday night, came together to discuss what else they could do to capitalize on their amazing beachfront location and friendly atmosphere.

They came up with the idea of capitalizing on the Bahamian pirate history and the fact that much of Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed right on our island and many of our locals were in that movie. So, the community is looking at a Pirate theme for the settlement. Many members of the community came out to a meeting to discuss the way forward. Even though they all had different ideas, plans and hopes of their own, they resolved to work together to move forward. They had already shown their fortitude by creating a great event such as Fish Fry and they are determined to continue their growth.

Clifford Edden, community leader and owner of the popular Da Bus Stop, stated that he felt the people of Smith’s Point were a hard working group and are willing to do whatever it takes to create more business for their area. ”We created Fish Fry on our own and when the hotels started bringing in the tourists by the bus load, we rose to the occasion to accommodate the crowds and still keep our original island atmosphere. There are six established bars & restaurants in Smith’s Point and we are all working together towards the same goal.”

The famous Wednesday Night Fish Fry at Smith's Point in Grand Bahama draws tourists and locals alike to eat freshly caught fish and dance the night away. The local settlement is adding another night of fun with Pirate Night, starting on Friday, February 28. The six bars and restaurants in the area will come alive "pirate style" and create a fun street party atmosphere. Photo courtesy of Outriggers Restaurant

He is joined by the other popular spots in the settlement: Mama Flo’s, White Wave, Penny’s, Gully Wash and of course the very popular Outriggers. As a whole, the Fish Fry has been voted the #2 attraction on Grand Bahama Island on the influential Tripadvisor.com.

Upon deciding that they all wanted to move forward to create some new activities, they announced the first new event, Pirate Night on February 28, from "5pm - Arrrgn-til!"All of the restaurants will feature BBQ menus ranging from chicken to roast pig, accompanied by local favourite side dishes and a few surprises.

Aside from food, expect other Smith’s Point vendors with fun things for the kids and adults alike. Look out for special drinks created just for the evening, plus live and recorded music to dance the night Since the community will be decked out in Pirate costumes, they encourage the public to join in the fun and dress Pirate style!

The Smith’s Point community is receiving some assistance from the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board to make this and future events a success. The Tourism Board, made up of hoteliers and tourism businesses, have declared that they are willing to help the popular attraction upgrade, with possible improvements to the bathrooms, facades and promotions for special events.

Plans are already underway for future events, including working with the Grand Bahama Regatta Committee for the July Regatta and developing an annual weekend Pirate Festival. Edden stated that the community is serious about creating their own success and will be looking for form as business association in order to create unity and work towards the common goal of making Smith’s Point a tourist attraction for every day, not just one or two nights a week.