Barbados Festival Fever is on air all year round, featuring various music, arts, theater, and food festivals.
Music Festivals
Imagine watching your favorite bands on the beautiful island of Barbados, where the blue and yellow national flag reflects the warm, azure ocean and soft, golden sands. Imagine discovering music that lifts your spirits and soothes your soul, leaving you buoyed up for the next adventure.
The delight of a Barbados music festival.
Calypso and Soca Music Festivals
Barbados is the birthplace of many top Calypso and Soca artists. Calypso sounds can be traced back to the seventeenth century when enslaved Africans first arrived in Barbados on the trade winds.
Today, many Barbadians live to the beat of Calypso, which became highly organized after the founding of the Barbados Crop Over Festival. The Crop Over Festival is the most significant event of the year, where all Barbadians are given a national holiday and celebrate in style with a colorful carnival.
The chosen Calypso and Soca kings and queens perform on moving floats. At the same time, their festival participants follow in ‘bands,’ creating a vibrant atmosphere as they dance up a festival frenzy adorned in hot colors, minute bikinis, dazzling sequins, fabulous feathers, and beautiful body paint. One party not to be missed!
Pop and Rock Music
Pop festivals are attended by locals and tourists alike and are often a glitzy, glamorous affair. Breakfast in Barbados, for instance, has showcased the likes of Bryan Adams, Nelly Furtado, Bare Naked Ladies, New Kids on the Block, Jann Arden, and the charming Michael Bublé in beautiful settings such as the grounds of an illustrious plantation house.
Also, the alternative indie and rock music scene is growing on the island. Many up-and-coming indie and rock bands are on the rise, such as Psilos, who perform at various festivals throughout the year, including the Virgin Holidays Music Festival.
Ska, Reggae, Dub, and Breakbeat
Barbados also hosts vibrant festivals that vibrate to Ska, Reggae, Dub, and Breakbeat. For instance, the Virgin Holidays Music Festival was headlined by The Dub Pistols. There is also an annual Reggae festival, Reggae on the Hill, which revelers flock to in their thousands.
Jazz and Gospel
Jazz comes naturally to Barbadians, whose origins are in Africa and Europe, where traditional music is fused. Jazz was born in the 20th century and originated from the African American communities of the Southern United States.
Barbados hosts an annual Jazz Festival which has showcased the likes of Chrisette Michele, Kenny G, Erykah Badu, Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys, Patti LaBelle, and Anita Baker while supporting The Barbados Jazz Academy (children’s workshops given by some of the most renowned jazz masters).
Gospel is alive in Barbadians’ spirit, with many Barbadians living and breathing Christianity (Anglican and Catholic). There is an annual Gospelfest at which thousands of Barbadians watch a week of uplifting gospel singing with artists from as far as the United States.
Arts Festivals
Barbadian art has traditional Anglo and flamboyant African influences. The fusion of these two diverse cultures produces unique and high-quality artwork. 90% of all Barbadians are of African descent, and most of this group are descendants of the slave laborers on the sugar plantations (Source: Wikipedia.)
One of the most significant art festivals in Barbados is The National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA), at which Barbadians of all ages showcase their talents.
Food Festivals
Barbadian food is sweet and aromatic due to the use of herbs and sugar that grow naturally on the island. A traditional seasoning here is ‘Bajan seasoning,’ a fusion of thyme, marjoram, green onions, parsley, and more. Due to the warm waters surrounding the turquoise sea, there is also an abundance of freshly caught fish on the island.
Barbados’ national dish is ‘Cou Cou and Flying Fish.’ “Cou Cou” is peppers and okra in a hot sauce. Another critical ingredient in Barbadian cooking is rum. If you’re here at Christmas, don’t forget to try the local Christmas cake made with that particular element. You can sample traditional Caribbean food and drink at the Barbados Wine, Food, and Rum Festival.
Dance Festivals
Dance is an active part of Barbadian culture, whether African dance, ballet, jazz, tap, free form, or modern dance – all genres can be found in Barbados. Dance in Barbados is often a part of a child’s early education. Many of the primary schools on the island have dance as part of the curriculum or as a strongly suggested after-school activity for the students. Dance is integral to many festivals here, including The Crop Over Festival.
Theatre, Comedy, and Classical Music Festivals
Perhaps one of the most exciting festivals on the island is the Holders Festival, a two-week program of theatre, comedy, and classical music. Top actors and performers from London’s West End and New York’s Broadway wow the elegant crowd in idyllic surroundings.
Whatever brings you to a Barbados Festival, we are sure you will find an electric mix of music, dancing, and singing to enjoy. Barbadians are always ready to have a good time, and we at Totally Barbados advise you to join us.
