MELTINGLY tender calamari: grilled, fried or sautéed . . .
Add top-quality wine, craft beer, gin, entertainment and action-packed fun to the menu – the annual Calamari Festival.
The festival, organised by St Francis Tourism and sponsored by Kouga Municipality, will take place at the Village Green in St Francis Drive, St Francis Bay, from 11:00 to 17:00 on Saturday, September 21.
The Festival complements the long-standing Calamari Golf and Bowls Classics, and building on the success of the inaugural event in 2017, the organisers promise the 2019 festival to be bigger and better.
Calamari Cook-Off
Putting professional and amateur chefs’ culinary skills to the test, the third Calamari Cook-Off Competition is set to turn on the heat.
Teams can be made up of family and friends, as well as company teams in the new corporate category.
Entries are limited to 15 teams, each creating their own calamari dish using local calamari supplied by local fisheries and ingredients sponsored by Village Square SuperSpar.
2018 My Kitchen Rules winners, Roxanne and Spoen Green, will do two demonstrations of their culinary skills on the day, as well as judge the hugely popular Calamari Cook-Off Competition.
The Calamari King or Queen for 2019 will receive a floating trophy.
Joe Fish Restaurant in Cape St Francis will be back to defending their 2018 winning-title.
The entry fee for the Cook Off will be donated to NSRI Station 21.
Entertainment
A variety of craft beers, gin and wine will be available throughout the day alongside food trucks and market stalls, offering a wide variety of good quality products.
A live music stage, showcasing some of the finest talents in the Eastern Cape, will entertain festival-goers throughout the day.
Kids will love the play area with an inflatable rocket and a mini train.
The Calamari weekend also offers sporting action in many disciplines such as a golf, squash and a bowls tournament, as well as the Nautical Half Marathon on Sunday, September 22.
Evening entertainment is available at all local restaurants and venues throughout the weekend in both St Francis Bay and Cape St Francis.
Wine Festival
An exciting addition to this year’s festival is the first Calamari Wine Festival brought to festival-goers by Tops Village Square from 15:00 to 20:00 on Friday, September 20.
Visitors will be able to taste wine from 20 different farms. Tickets at R150 per person, is available at Tops Village Square and St Francis Tourism – this includes a complementary branded wine glass.
More information
The annual Calamari Festival will take place at the Village Green in St Francis Drive, St Francis Bay, from 11:00 to 17:00 on Saturday, September 21.
For more information about the festival, contact St Francis Tourism at 042 294 0076 or Hantie van der Westhuizen at 083 294 2211.
Alternatively send an email to office@stfrancistourism.co.za.
