Residents and visitors alike are getting set to honour the conch as the Turks and Caicos Islands celebrate the islands’ culinary specialty at the Fourth Annual Turks & Caicos Conch Festival, Nov. 23-25 on Providenciales. Highlights include a competition featuring the best of Caribbean food and music. “The Conch Festival is a much-anticipated event that allows Turks and Caicos to showcase conch as a fundamental element of Caribbean culture through the innovative dishes created by our world-class chefs,” says Ralph Higgs, director of tourism marketing at the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board. “We are excited to offer this culinary extravaganza to our visitors from all cultural backgrounds.” The three-day celebration will include the “conch-etition,” a cocktail challenge, a conch blowing contest, a conch treasure hunt, live music and native boat races. Turks and Caicos is home to the world’s only conch farm, Caicos Conch Farm. Entrance to the Turks & Caicos Conch Festival costs US$15, entitling attendees to a tasting of every conch dish entered in the competition. There are currently 20 restaurants entered in the “conch-etition.” (www.conchfestival.com)