Yellow banana wigs, boat rides, sounds of the tropical steel drum band and perfect late summer weather got the party started at the Port for the 8th Annual Banana Festival! Welcoming over 12,000 people inside the Port, Oxnard Harbor District President Jess Herrera stated, “The Port of Hueneme has always been the little Port that could and can do big things. Thanks to the ability of our talented staff to work toward a common vision and their individual strengths and accomplishments, there is only one way that this Port can continue to go, and that’s forward.”

A bird’s eye view of the opening of the 8th Annual Banana Festival
A bird’s eye view of the opening of the 8th Annual Banana Festival

Eager festivalgoers lined up at the entrance to be first in line for the Port’s famous boat tours of the harbor to get a behind the scenes look at Port operations. As the community explored, they learned that the Port is one of the nation's top ten automobile ports and a gateway to move the crops grown here in Ventura County to global trading partners. Of course, the banana was a big part of the show, being the Port's largest import commodity. Tour attendees also learned that the Port is the Greenest Port in the USA, having reduced air emissions by 85% since 2009.

“It’s another day in paradise at the Port of Hueneme! I am so glad that we have an immense amount of people here today enjoying the hospitality that the Port has to offer,” said Oxnard Harbor District Vice President Jess Ramirez. “This was my vision when we first started the Festival over eight years ago, to bring our community into the Port to see all of our equipment and cranes so they can see what makes this Port move cargo.” The Port’s union labor partners were present at the Festival, showcasing their trades under the Port’s first-ever Project Labor Agreement.

Attendees danced their way around the festival celebrating the over 3.3 billion bananas that come through the Port of Hueneme each year, making the it the banana capital of the West Coast. They were treated to free bananas from Chiquita and Del Monte Fresh, the Port’s two largest banana importers. Attendees were delighted with banana-inspired foods including banana taffy, deep fried banana fritters, banana-flavored popcorn, banana beignets, chocolate frozen bananas, banana funnel cake — and on the savory side, banana empanadas, banana lumpias and peanut butter banana melts from the grilled cheese truck!