Barbados Offers 2009 Calendar of Events
Barbados unveiled its 2009 Calendar of Festivals & Events which features music, performing arts, film and culinary festivals, as well as surfing, polo, cricket, domino, golf and horse racing tournaments throughout the year.
A partial listing of events include Hike Barbados, every Sunday through December hikes are scheduled weekly and depart each Sunday morning and afternoon from different locations on the island, lasting three hours in duration; Open House Program, starting in January, every Wednesday through March provides entry into historic homes that reveal a range of lifestyles, architecture and historical features, giving locals and island visitors the opportunity to visit private properties that usually remain closed to the general public.
Slam-a-Dom Extravaganza, Jan. 17 to 19, is the annual international tournament, created by competition domino players to promote the sport. The Waterman Festival, Feb. 14 and 15, Feb. 21 and 22 and Feb. 28 and March 1, lasts for three weekends and celebrates surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing with a series of competitive events.
The Holetown Festival, Feb. 15 to 22, marks the arrival of the first settlers at the site now known as Holetown and provides visitors with an introduction to Barbadian culture and traditions through a varied program that includes concerts, live music, street parades, beauty pageants, craft fairs, historical exhibitions, sporting competitions and food and drink events.
The Sandy Lane Gold Cup, March 7, has grown to be the most prestigious and significant horse racing event in the Caribbean. The Holders Season, March 14 to April 4, features opera, classical, jazz, Latin and Caribbean music which takes place at the historic Holders Plantation House.
The Paradise Lost Exhibition, Feb. 20 to March 20, is an art exhibition, held at the historic Lancaster Great House, illustrating Barbados’ architectural heritage: its losses, excesses, triumphs and disasters.
The Barbados Polo Open, March 15 to 22 and April 2 to 5, is jointly sponsored by the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) and Columbian Emeralds, in association with Simpson Motors, Mount Gay Rum, Raffles Resort, Terra Caribbean Ltd, Barbados National Bank, Ocean 2 and Courtesy Garage, and feature some of the top names in international polo over the course of these four-match series.
The Oistins Fish Festival, April 11 to 13, celebrates those that work in the local fishing industry. Sir Garfield Sobers Festival of Golf, April 25 to 27, is a four-day tournament. The Mount Gay Regatta, June 10 to 14, comes to a close on the Sunday evening with a big party and awards ceremony.
The Crop Over Festival, July 4 to Aug. 3, is Barbados’ biggest, loudest and best-loved festival which sees the whole island taken over by the party spirit. Dating back to the 1780s when the island was one of the biggest sugar producers in the world, the end of the sugar cane harvest was always celebrated with a big party, and the tradition continues today with added extravagance and flamboyance.
