Special events

Weekly 

Oistins Fish Fry

Every Friday and Saturday night hundreds of locals and visitors flock to Oistins for the Fish-Fry, an opportunity to enjoy the very best local food – fried and grilled fish, fish cakes, sweet potato and macaroni pie and so much more. There are numerous vendors to choose from and seating is readily available. the sounds of island music fill the air, making for a memorable evening out in a very casual setting!

Mid – February (Annual event)

The Holetown Festival

A week long annual festival taking place in Holetown on the West Coast, which celebrates the arrival of the first settlers in Holetown on 17th February 1627. The festival includes a number of activities which showcase the culture and traditions of Barbados. Events include folk singing and dancing, sports and games, street parades, markets and food stalls that offer traditional Bajan cuisine.

Easter (Annual event)

Oistins Fish Festival

Not to be confused with the legendary Friday night fish fries at the Oistins Bay Garden, the annual Oistins Fish Festival commemorates the signing of the Charter of Barbados and celebrates the importance of fisheries and fisher folk on the island. With fish first on the menu, things get really fishy during the festival, with fish boning competitions, crab and boat racing competitions, the climbing of the grease pole, stalls and games – just to name a few of the attractions. The festival has been going on since 1977 and more than 40 years later, there’s no stopping it now!

April (Annual event)

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 event on the island, the festival brings together an impressive range of local, regional and international superstars of the Reggae music industry.

June – August (Annual event)

Crop Over Festival

The island’s lively Crop Over Festival celebrates a 200 year-old tradition that honors the end of the sugar cane season. The six-week festival celebrates all that is Bajan with dusk til dawn parties, arts and crafts markets and culinary-driven street fares.

Grand Kadooment Day

Celebrates the end of Crop Over, where Masquerade Bands and revelers dressed in sequin costumes decorated with colourful feathers and jewels make their way through the streets to 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. The carnival continues for two full days in many instances and at the end of the celebrations, harvested crops will either be sold at market or stored up for use by families.

November (Annual event)

Barbados Food and Rum Festival

Every November Barbados becomes the mecca for chefs of local, regional and international acclaim, who join with foodies of every description to celebrate a wide variety of epicurean delights. Festival-goers enjoy the best of international cuisine and cooking demonstrations by top chefs.

30 November (Annual event)

Independence Day

The independence celebrations begin with a parade and some special ceremonies, but 30 November is only the culmination of events, as the whole month of November is really ‘independence month’ full of sports events, fairs, arts and crafts shows and various patriotic and religious activities.

November (Annual event)

Run Barbados

The event offers a 5k, a 10k, a midnight fun mile run and walk, a half-marathon and a marathon. Usually held around Barbados’ Independence time, the race is set to coincide with other holiday events.