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News : Ministry of Tourism Updates Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM


All Andros Crab Festival, June 10th to 13th
Jun 10, 2010 - 7:57:37 PM

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Fresh Creek, Central Andros, Bahamas - The 13th annual Crab Fest will take place in Fresh Creek from June 10th to 13th at Queen's Park, where visitors and thousands from throughout the family islands are welcomed to one of the country’s premier heritage events.

Crab culinary artists will titillate patrons’ palates with their versatility in preparing crab meat in new and exciting ways. Besides the popular crab and rice/native corn grits, stewed/steamed crab, crab and dough, crab soup, and baked crab, there may also be crab souse, crab fritters, crab patties, and crab tarts.

Learn 113 ways to catch, pen, cook and eat an Andros crab!  "The art of crab catching is in the heart of Androsians".

The Ministry of Tourism has supported the Crab Fest from its inception, October 12, 1998. The idea was developed by the first local government district council of Central Andros.

The festival represents a huge infusion into the economy of Central Andros especially for vendors, hoteliers, apartment owners, taxi cab drivers, airlines, ferries, mailboats and the wider community.

This year's Bahamian entertainment will be KB, Wilfred Solomon, Jay Mitchell, Geno D, Therese Hepburn, Elon Moxey and others.


Crabs come out in large numbers from June to August to mate and are harvested. Harvesting the crab is called crabbing. Although crabs are found throughout the Bahamas, the 104-mile long, 40-mile wide Andros, the largest of the Bahamian archipelago, seems to provide the best environment for them to breed in swarms.

Crabbing has long been a fueler of Andros’ economic engine and some of the nation’s best doctors, lawyers, teachers and politicians can trace their roots to the industry.

The art of crabbing requires tremendous skill. Crabs’ agility - they can move in any direction at a moment’s notice - makes them no easy target. With well-aimed jabs and snaps from fins and claws, they resist at all costs.

Yet, armed only with flashlights and crocus bags, Androsians like Mrs Vivido, her potcake dog Peace also on the trail, braves mosquitos and sandflies, brambles and bushes, to ferret out these wiley creatures. Her favourite crabbing ground is around Moxey Pond just outside of Fresh Creek; her favourite dish is crab soup.

For two weeks before they are sent to market crabs are fed a strict diet of berries, grass, and fruit.

Crabbing has become a very lucrative industry. The season represents the opening of the ‘Bank of Andros’ as each live crab brought to market has a potential value of at least $1 here.

By the time it reaches New Providence, the value could triple as the demand grows. In 1975 one dozen crabs sold for $3 to $10 dollars. In the Nassau market a dozen crabs could easily go for close to $40 depending on the size and the season.

The crab habitat which will be a permanent feature of the current site, was designed to represent the four major areas where land crab are found – beaches, mangroves, coppices and pine forests.

Information SOURCE and see Photos from 2005

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