As a frequent visitor of Barbados, Tunde Folawiyo is probably aware of the island’s most popular festivals – Holetown, and Crop Over – which are held every spring and summer, respectively. People come in their droves each year to attend these cultural events, which provide them with the opportunity to experience the best of Barbados’ cuisine, music, dance and art.
The Holetown festival has been celebrated here for 347 years now. Held between the 17th and the 25th of February, it celebrates the day when, in 1627, a group of English settlers landed on the shores of Barbados, and established a colony. Initially, this was a two day event, but it became so popular amongst residents and visitors that the festival founders decided to make it an eight day affair.
During this period of time, the village of Holetown is awash with stalls, selling all kinds of locally-made, artisan goods, including clothing, sculptures, candles, soaps, pottery and jewellery. Predictably, the street fair held on the Saturday is the busiest.
As you stroll around, you’ll also come across a wide variety of food carts, selling traditional Bajan cuisine – this is a unique combination of British, Indian and West African flavours, and often features things such as marinated spicy chicken, macaroni pies, and fragrant, herby fishcakes. In the evenings, musicians perform on the streets and at organised open-air concerts, with most of their songs being inspired by the calypso, tuk band, classical and gospel genres.
The Crop Over festival is equally popular; dating back to the late 18th century, this event was first created at a time when Barbados was the biggest sugar producer in the world. The festival was established as a means of celebrating the end of the sugar cane harvest season (hence the name ‘Crop Over’).
This festival spans almost the entire summer, although the main event takes place over the course of May and June, and is known as the Cavalcade. This is a travelling procession of sorts, which involves a large group of dancers and streets artists, dressed in elaborate costumes, performing along the streets of Barbados.
However, those who regularly frequent the island, like Tunde Folawiyo, will most likely know that, for many tourists, the highlight of the Crop Over festival is the Bridgetown Market, which is held in August. During this event, steel drum bands play along the roads, and swarms of stalls, selling mouth-watering Bajan dishes and traditional Barbadian artwork made by local artists, line the pathways of the town.