Second Successful Edition of Seafood Festival Unites Community, Local Fishing, and Economic Opportunity
ORANJESTAD — On Sunday, September 27, the successful second edition of the Savaneta Seafood Festival took place.
People from all over Aruba came to Savaneta to enjoy seafood, gastronomy, music, culture, and a family atmosphere, turning the festival into a true community gathering and a platform for local economic activity.
What began in 2025 as an initiative of the Savaneta Prome Capital Foundation to bring fishing and Savaneta's identity more to light is growing into an event that brings together fishermen, business owners, entrepreneurs, craftsmen, families, and visitors from across the island.
This growth is the result of trust and collaboration. The Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs, and Primary Sector has supported the initiative since its first edition with the conviction that the Savaneta Seafood Festival can become a sustainable platform to strengthen the community and, at the same time, create economic opportunities around fishing and local products.
“What we saw in Savaneta is exactly what we want to achieve: a community that comes together, our fishermen and entrepreneurs who get a platform, local products that get visibility, and economic activity that stays in the community. We will continue to work to make it bigger and better,” said Geoffrey Wever, Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs, and Primary Sector.
The Savaneta Seafood Festival shows that investment in the primary sector can have an effect that goes beyond fishing alone. When a fisherman can present his product, an entrepreneur can sell his food, a craftsman can offer his goods, and hundreds of visitors arrive in a community, it generates direct economic activity at the local level.
The vision of Mr. Norman Thijsen and his team at Fundacion Savaneta Prome Capital, together with the government, is to strengthen the entire chain—from fishing and local products to gastronomy, trade, and the cultural experience.
The Savaneta Seafood Festival is a concrete expression of that approach: not only talking about strengthening the primary sector, but creating spaces where the sector can connect directly with consumers, entrepreneurs, and the community.
The festival is also part of a broader vision for fishing. Investment in infrastructure for fishermen, the promotion of local products, and initiatives to pass on fishing knowledge to the next generation all contribute to the same goal: giving local fishing a stronger position in Aruba's economic future.
Minister Wever expresses special gratitude to Mr. Norman Thijsen and his team at Fundacion Savaneta Prome Capital, all public and private partners, and especially every person who visited the festival, every fisherman, vendor, entrepreneur, craftsman, and participant who placed their trust in the initiative.