There’s always something happening year-round in Barbados, So add to your Caribbean experience by planning your getaway around your favorite festivals and events. Here’s a sample of what’s in store when you come to Barbados:
CROPOVER
Crop Over: Barbados premier festival, combines a series of fabulous events marking the end of the sugar cane crop season. And if you were ever in Barbados between July and August at Crop Over time, you’d know that the feting never ends and every night provides an excuse to cut loose! The celebration recalls the colonial past when sugar cane was king, and creativity abounds with indigenous art, craft, calypso, flower festivals, folk concerts and revelry at Foreday Morning. But it is Grand Kadooment – the climax of the festival – which generates the most heat, energy and color! The event is great fun for everyone, even if you’re watching the masqueraders from the sidelines and not “jumping” in a costumed band. Revellers, among whom are countless international celebrities, including their very own mega star, Rihanna, make their way through the streets in a kaleidoscope of color to the Spring Garden Highway, where the party continues well into the night with more revelry, music, food and fireworks, set against the picturesque backdrop of Brighton Beach.
BARBADOS FOOD & WINE AND RUM FESTIVAL
Barbados Food and Rum Festival: Barbados is always a magnet for visitors from around the world, and every November it becomes the mecca for chefs of local, regional and international acclaim, who join with foodies of every description to celebrate the wide variety of epicurean delights for which the Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival is known. Festival-goers enjoy the best of international cuisine and cooking demonstrations by top chefs, including Food Network stars, Anne Burrell, Tyler Florence and Marcus Samuelsson, just to name a few. The aim of this Culinary Festival in Barbados is to provide a scintillating pairing of the best in food, wine, drinks and entertainment as Barbadians and visitors alike rediscover the exotic flavors which permeate the culinary soul of this island.
HOLETOWN FESTIVAL
OISTINS FRIDAY NIGHT FISH FRY
Oistins is an active fishing town on the south coast and is a hub of activity on weekend nights. On Friday night particularly, the big thing to do is go to the fish fry in Oistins. The food is the main draw – excellent fish, (tuna, swordfish, red snapper,marlin, mahi-mahi, flying fish), lobster, chicken etc. served in an extremely informal setting. You can get your fish grilled or fried depending on which vendor you choose from. It’s all cooked on the spot in front of you. Seating is plentiful, rustic, and in amongst the diners, the old-timers are playing dominoes. There are also art and craft items on sale, including jewelry, pottery, ceramics, leather craft, wood carvings, straw craft, clothing and accessories, and original paintings and prints. There are two sources of music – one plays mostly back-in-time (Bob Marley, Platters, Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican ska, even old country and western!), the other calypso, including the current Crop Over hits. You can dance if you want or watch the others dance! Some nights there’s a live band.
SIR GARRY SOBERS FESTIVAL OF GOLF INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Barbados Golf Festival: There’s nothing quite like a day on the links and the Barbados Golf Festival provides the opportunity for golfers from various golf clubs around the island to spend several days teeing off to their hearts’ content! Competitions are organized for both male and female players from Barbados and the Caribbean. The festivals provide a mix of social golf with tournament golf and with a packed social program, golfers and their partners can enjoy the events together. The “36-holes “RBC Golf Classic” and the Sir Garry Sobers Festival of Golf Championships are HUGE on the program, which attracts scores of spectators. The Sir Garfield Sobers Golf Tournament, held annually in April at Sandy Lane, Apes Hill Club, Royal Westmoreland and the Barbados Golf Club, is one of the Caribbean’s most outstanding golf tournaments.
SANDY LANE GOLD CUP
Sandy Lane Gold Cup: Not only is the Sandy Lane Gold Cup one of the biggest sporting events in Barbados, it is by far the most prestigious horseracing event in the Eastern Caribbean! First sponsored by Cockspur Rum from its inception in 1982, the race has blossomed into a full-fledged event, complete with pomp, pageantry, marching bands and dancing girls, combining sport and wholesome entertainment for the whole family. Sponsored by Sandy Lane since 1997, a series of events and activities, including polo matches, family days, golf tournaments, theatrical shows, street parades and fish fries has been introduced to generate excitement ahead of the annual race, which draws visitors and media from all over the world.
GOSPELFEST
Gospelfest: Considered to be the premier gospel festival in the Caribbean, Barbados’ Gospelfest is a celebration intended to “help to shape the moral landscape of our nation, the region and the world.” Barbadians are a spiritual people, the majority of whom are of the Christian faith. Given the proliferation of churches across the island and the size of our church-going population, it’s no surprise that there is a festival of Christian worship in music, song, dance, mime and testimony. Usually held over a two-week period during the month of May, Gospelfest attracts many a-list Christian and Gospel entertainers from around the world, showcasing diverse genres of uplifting gospel music. The event carries all the flair and flavor you’d expect from any production in the Caribbean, and local artists often share the stage with international acts for depth and diversity.
NANIKI CARIBBEAN JAZZ SAFARI FESTIVAL
The Naniki Music Festival: The festival took its inaugural musical ride in January 2013, launching in the beautiful, historic island of Barbados over five music-filled days. Since its inception, the concert series has continued in the breathtaking islands of Antigua, Grenada, St. Vincent, and Suriname, featuring an impressive lineup of international musicians, with the signature annual launch in Barbados each January. The shows treat jazz fans to both international and Caribbean performers of the highest caliber in exotic settings, with legendary as well as emerging talent.
REGGAE FESTIVAL
Reggae Festival: Reggae parties, cruises, shows, dances and other events of major proportions make up the week in April that is the Barbados Reggae Festival. Undoubtedly the most popular and widely anticipated reggae event on the island, the festival brings together an impressive range of local, regional and international superstars of the Reggae music industry. Founded in 2004, the festival is still going strong and is instrumental in broadening the interest and appeal of reggae in its various forms. As a major musical event on the island, it showcases a wide range of world-class international, regional and local entertainers and musicians, while attracting many visitors from around the world.
CELTIC FESTVAL
A musical and culinary festival, steeped in history and tradition, celebrating the shared history between the Celtic countries of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Nova Scotia with Barbados. Visiting musicians include bagpipers, folk singers, dancers and fiddlers who will join with local musicians to celebrate their musical history. The Celtic Festival Barbados celebrates the history of the connections between Scotland, Ireland and Wales and the sunny Caribbean island.
TOP GEAR FESTIVAL
Top Gear Festival: Firmly established as the greatest motoring theater show in the world, Top Gear Live events have featured a number of jaw-dropping stunts including the world’s first indoor loop-the-loop which earned the show a Guinness World Record, an F1 ice-cream van, a heart-stopping 300ft car bungee and a fleet of flaming 911 Porsches. Top Gear Festival, Barbados attracts tens of thousands of petrol-heads keen to see the world famous presenters, guest drivers and celebrities in action and take part in this true celebration of all things motoring.
WATERMAN FESTIVAL
Waterman Festival: Created and organized by Brian “Irie Man” “deAction Man” Talma, DeAction Barbados Waterman Festival has been staged since 2000 and is a bold and exciting initiative which merges the fishing and surfing cultures to form one beach culture. There is no better spokesman or sportsman to advance this culture than Brian Talma, who is a former professional world ranking Windsurfer and enthusiastic watersports/beach culture activist. Held at the Silver Sands Beach, also referred to as Silver Rock’, ‘Round Rock’ or ‘De Action Beach,’ on the south coast, De Action Beach Waterman Festival attracts participants from throughout the Caribbean and around the world, providing a wholesome, fun environment for competitions in surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, swimming, fishing, stand up paddling and conch shell blowing. Art exhibitions, music and parties round off the total beach experience, which takes place over a 2-day period in March or April.
RUN BARBADOS
Run Barbados : A trail blazer since 1983, this long-distance running event started with only a 10K and a marathon, both of which started and finished at the Bay Street Esplanade overlooking Carlisle Bay on the outskirts of our capital city Bridgetown. Since then, the road race, now the Powerade Run Barbados event has grown and now offers a 5k, a 10k, a midnight fun mile run and walk, a half-marathon, and a marathon to satisfy the appetite of our local runners as well as the faithful overseas athletes who make the annual pilgrimage to compete. Usually held around Barbados’ Independence time (November 30), the race is set to coincide with other holiday events for maximum participation and enjoyment.
RALLY BARBADOS
Rally Barbados: Rally Barbados is an international all-stage rally and has long been the Caribbean’s premier annual international motor sport event. Starting out small in 1990 as a one-day event with only 30 local competitors, the Sol Rally Barbados Festival has grown significantly over the years and now attracts well over 100 local, regional and international crews and drivers. The Sol Rally Barbados Festival is a major contributor to the island’s sports-tourism product and with more than 20 special stages spread across the island, the action takes place over one weekend. Organized by the Barbados Rally Club, the festival also includes a whole week of other activities – social and otherwise – featuring Scrutineering and the immensely popular Flow King of the Hill ‘shakedown.’
BARBADOS INTERNATIONAL MASTERS FOOTBALL FESTIVAL
The Barbados International Masters Football Festival is one of the biggest masters football tournaments held in the Caribbean attracting teams from the UK, North America and neighboring islands. The festival is held at the end of May every year with two divisions (over 40s and over 50s) vying for bragging rights and the championship trophy.
BARBADOS HOCKEY FESTIVAL
Barbados Hockey Festival: The Banks Barbados International Hockey Festival started in 1986 and is widely considered to be the biggest field hockey tournament in the Caribbean. Attracting local, regional and international teams, the festival is usually staged over one week in August. The main venue for the festival and, indeed, hockey in Barbados, is the AstroTurf field and stadium located at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in the southern parish of St. Michael, where dozens of spectators congregate for fun and sizzling competition among the hockey greats!
THE NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE FESTIVAL OF CREATIVE ARTS
NIFCA (The National Independence Festival of Creative Arts): NIFCA celebrates Barbados’ Independence through Bajan culture and the visual and performing arts. First introduced in 1973, NIFCA showcases the best of Barbadian talent, focusing the spotlight on original performances in drama, dance, music, literary, visual and culinary arts, photography and art & craft. The performances and exhibitions which comprise the event are judged, and Barbadians of all ages and from all walks of life take part. The festival provides an important opportunity for Barbadians – especially the youth – to embrace our local culture, develop creativity and a spirit of fair competition. The festival culminates with the Gala, which features the best of the presentations and performances staged over the period of the exhibition.
BIM LITERARY FESTIVAL AND BOOK FAIR
The Bim Literary Festival & Book Fair: A True Cultural Experience! The inaugural Bim Literary Festival and Book Fair took place in May 2012. Its theme was “Words Need Love Too,” a sentiment borrowed from a poem by Barbados’ best-known poet, Kamau Brathwaite. Organized by Writers Ink Inc., a collective of Barbados’ leading novelists and poets, that first festival featured literary giants: Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott, Alba Prize winner George Lamming and Giller Award winners Austin “Tom” Clarke and Lorna Goodison. Kamau Brathwaite was represented. Among the renowned local writers who participated were Linda M. Deane, Margaret Gill, Anthony Kellman, Karen Lord, Philip Nanton, Esther Phillips, and Robert Edison Sandiford. The Bim LitFest, gives writers and readers, editors and agents, that all too rare opportunity to get together, lime, and interact one-on-one. It’s an opportunity for them and the public to talk about books, why they matter and why they love them and takes place in a place like Barbados, long a stimulating destination for the intellectually passionate and creatively curious.
THE BARBADOS INTERNATIONAL FISHING TOURNAMENT
The Barbados International Fishing Tournament is one of the premier fishing events in the Southern Caribbean, and attracts participants from across the region and internationally each year for five days of fun and competition. The emphasis in recent years has been on making everyone a winner. The tournament is staged at the Port St. Charles Marina in St. Peter and features anglers and their families from places such as Antigua, Grenada, Guadeloupe, England, Italy, Martinique, Jamaica, Scotland, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States of America. The event is a big success, and previous years has seen an average of 35 boats and 225 anglers participating, with some spectacular catches being recorded as the teams revel in the magnificent conditions. Apart from the fishing, there is much dockside activity to help liven the event, and each evening sees hundreds of people gathered to witness the boats arriving with their catch, as well as to join in the festivities such as cocktail parties, a fashion show, wine-tasting, live band, music, happy hour drinks, pig-roast and fish fry to name a few.
MOUNT GAY ROUNDS
Mount Gay Rounds: The race around Barbados dates back to the 19th century and is based upon bragging rights for the fastest “Trading Schooner”. This was a prize worth its weight in gold to captains in an era where prices for cargo arriving ahead of rival ships commanded a massive premium. While most boats sailed for the honor of the fastest time, the consolation prize of a barrel of Mount Gay Rum for the slowest certainly spurred on some captains, and had to be discontinued after two boats remained out at sea for days stalling to take the prize. Mount Gay Rum, the finest, oldest brand of rum in existence has been produced on Barbados with passion and an unparalleled excellence since 1703. Since it’s origin Mount Gay Rum has been intimately linked to the sailing world. Mount Gay Rum is the brand of rum for all who love the sea. As evidence of its profound and privileged relationship with the sea, sailors and ships, every year Mount Gay Rum proudly sponsors over 120 regattas around the globe.
THE BARBADOS BEACH AND WELLNESS FESTIVAL
Immerse yourself in a cultural Caribbean experience! From early morning beach workouts to energetic Rock Om Yoga, the wellness festival will bring together remarkable groups of yoga and meditation instructors, musicians, speakers, chefs and other professionals for a truly transformational experience. In addition to the wide array of physical activities, visitors will be invited to sample healthy authentic Caribbean cuisine and refreshments at various food and drink stalls at the festival, as well as an open-air market selling locally produced clothing, jewelry and craft work.
NATIONAL DINGHY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The running of the National Dinghy Championships takes place during the months of September, October and November each year. Hosted by The Barbados Sailing Association, these annual Championships are also sponsored in part by the Barbados Olympic Association. They comprise a series of twenty-five races sailed over five weekends in various classes, with the Laser and Optimist classes attracting the largest number of entries. The Optimist dinghy is sailed by over 150,000 young sailors aged 15 years and younger in 110 countries across the globe, and a large percentage of Olympic medal winners begin their sailing careers as Optimist sailors. After 15 years of age, most Optimist sailors graduate to the Laser dinghy, which is for sailors of all ages. The Barbados Sailing Association uses the National Dinghy Championships as one of the qualifying events from which to choose sailors to represent Barbados in regional and international events such as the Caribbean Dinghy Championships and the Central American and Caribbean Games.
BARBADOS FESTIVAL OF CYCLING
Persons of all cycling abilities will tour the beautiful island on both road and mountain bikes. Scenic coastal trails feature breathtaking scenery, refreshing island breezes, and some challenging terrain. Riders will also enjoy touring lush countryside and quaint seaside villages as they make the trip around the island. Advanced riders are invited to try the 112km Gold course while less experienced riders will enjoy the 64km Silver course.