Festivals and Events

In mid-January the Barbados Jazz Festival is a weeklong event jammed with performances by international artists, jazz legends, and local talent.

In February the weeklong Holetown Festival is held at the fairgrounds to commemorate the date in 1627 when the first European settlers arrived in Barbados.

In April, Reggae Music Festival performances draw huge crowds to Kensington Oval and Farley Park.

Gospelfest occurs in May and hosts performances by gospel headliners from around the world.

Dating from the 19th century, Crop Over, a monthlong festival similar to Carnival that begins in July and ends on Kadooment Day (a national holiday), marks the end of the sugarcane harvest.

In mid-November, the annual Food, Wine & Rum Festival attracts international chefs, wine experts, and local rum ambassadors who provide demonstrations and tastings at some of the island’s most exciting venues.