Parish President Guy McInnis announced today that St. Bernard Parish will be hosting the inaugural Louisiana Redfish Festival and Redfish World Series. This tournament will encompass elite anglers from across the nation and serve as the annual world championship event.
The Redfish Festival will take place September 27 – 29, 2019 on the grounds of the Sigur Civic Center. The tournament will be hosted out of Hopedale Marina September 26-29.
McInnis said, “We are extremely proud to be able to host this festival and world-class fishing tournament and I am excited to say that we have reached an
agreement with the producers to keep both of these events in St. Bernard Parish for many years to come.”
The Louisiana Redfish Festival is the first of its kind to celebrate the Redfish and its contribution to the economy of south Louisiana. There will be a carnival with rides, clowns, and midway games as well as food and craft vendors. There is also a mini-expo of boats, ATVs, and outdoor gear. Live music with everyone’s favorite local bands will be featured on the main stage beginning Friday at 5:00 P.M.
Gritter Griffin, the Executive Producer of both events, notes that “Thursday evening the rides and carnival will be open to the general public from 5:00-9:00 P.M. free of charge. Then from Friday through Sunday the general entrance fee for the Redfish Festival will be five dollars. We are very proud to say that we have chosen the statewide charity, Wish to Fish, as our designated charity and a portion of all proceeds from the festival will go to support their excellent work. We will also be supporting local charitable organizations like the League of Angels in St. Bernard.”
Regarding the fishing tournament, Griffin notes that the Redfish World Series is “Invitation Only” with only the 48 highest-ranking teams in the entire country invited to compete for the first-place prize of $50,000 cash as well as the title of Redfish World Champion.
“Basspro/Cabela’s Boating Centers has come on board as Title Sponsor of the Redfish World Series and they are joined by Presenting Sponsor Mercury Marine. The tournament is shaping up to be a genuine world-class event with the finalists weighing in on the Main Stage at the Redfish Festival on Saturday and Sunday.”
“In addition, we have created a Redfish Festival Pageant to crown a Redfish Queen who will be representing the parish as well as promoting the commercial seafood industry throughout her reign.”
Griffin also noted, “The St Bernard government, the Meraux Foundation, Valero Refinery, Gulf Coast Bank, Chalmette Refinery, Southern Eagle Distributors, and many local businesses have been tremendously supportive of our efforts to bring these two events to St Bernard and have made us feel welcome throughout the parish. Now we welcome everyone to attend the first-ever Louisiana Redfish Festival September 27-29. We guarantee that you will be glad you did.”
For more information go to the websites: redfishworldseries.com, redfishfestival.com, or redfishpageant.com.
