The Bakatue Festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Elmina in the Central region of
Ghana. The festival, established at least as far back as 1847, is celebrated on the first Tuesday in the month of July every year. The festival
The Dutch reported the existence of the festival at least as far back as 1847 and was mentioned in a report by Governor Nagtglas in 1860. The festival is used to mark the beginning of the fishing season in Elmina. The name Bakatue is got from the Fante dialect which translates as draining of a lagoon.
The celebration of the festival was instituted to commemorate the founding of Elmina by the Portuguese in the early days of the colonization of the then Gold Coast. It also is used to offer thanks and prayers to the gods for a good fishing year.