Enjoy the Crop Over Festival
The Crop Over Festival is one of Bridgetown's oldest traditions.Travellers who visit Bridgetown, Barbados over their summer holiday may be able to witness the unique Crop Over Festival. Dating back to the 1780s, this event celebrates the harvest of the sugar crop. The dates for the festival fall between the second of July and the first of August. All parts of this event are totally free to the public.
A king and queen are chosen for the festival; these are usually the season’s two top sugarcane cutters. The king and queen are featured in the parade that serves as the start of the festival. The parade has a series of colourful carts that are decorated especially for the event, and these are an impressive sight as they are pulled through the streets of the city. Several bands and hundreds locals in bright costumes also march in the parade.
A great deal of calypso music and dancing takes place throughout the festival. If you enjoy dancing, there are several competitions that the public are more than welcome to attend. A number of bands also play at various times throughout the festival. These are commonly local bands that play a number of different music styles.
No major festival would be complete without local foods to try, and the Bridgetown Market has a variety of tasty items available for festival attendees to sample. Many of these include the local sugar that was harvested prior to the festival.
A flight from London Gatwick to Bridgetown will enable travellers to experience this unique aspect of the culture of Barbados.
