Barbados National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA)

Each year Barbados celebrates its Independence on November 30 and attracts Barbadians of all ages to showcase their talent. One of the main events is the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA), which is organized by the National Cultural Foundation. The festival runs throughout the month of November and the seven disciplines of NIFCA are - Dance, Drama/Speech, Music, Literary Arts, Culinary Arts, Visual Arts and Craft and Photography.

The month is filled with many performances, art exhibitions, demonstrations etc and closes with a grand finale with a gala presentation in which the finalists are featured.

The grand finale saw 18 hand picked acts perform for the Cable & Wireless NIFCA performing arts gala ceremony, where Dancing Africa collected the gold award.

Two new awards were created this year, the first in memory of Wendell Smith where a trophy was awarded for the Best Directed Piece and the second in memory of Alfred Pragnell, which is a scholarship for acting called The Alfred Pragnell Challenge Shield for acting.

Barbados Jazz Festival!

About cultural events of music we can find each January some of the leading jazz artists congregate in Barbados to perform over the course of a week at various venues across the island. As you may recall, it was in 1993 that the first Barbados Jazz Festival made its debut as a tourism product designed primarily to attract visitors and diversify the product offering to visitors. Here, jazz resounds across the island, while spectators enjoy the music from under the canopy of the mahogany forest that graces Farley Hill.


The location of the performances are usually Sunbury Plantation House, Heritage Park, The Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, Colony Club Hotel and Farley Hill National Park. One of the highlights of this festival is the two-day open-air concert held at Farley Hill National Park. Farley Hill was once the home to the stateliest Mansion House in Barbados. It was owned by an English planter, Sir Graham Briggs, here he entertained King George V in 1879 on his visit to Barbados.


The walls of the house still stand and are used as a stunning back drop for the stage, which for 2006 saw live performances from the world famous Lionel Ritchie, Roy Hargrove, Roberta Gamberini, Artwork, Wayne Willock, Jill Scott, Mike Phillips, Norman Brown, Cindy Alexandra, Arturo Tappin, Boney James, Gary Davis Band, and the Cuban Jazz All Stars. The Festival was nominated for the Award of Best Jazz Festival in the World in 1999 and won the award for Best Caribbean Musical Event in 2000 and 2001.

Sources: http://www.funbarbados.com/activities/festivals/
http://www.barbadosjazzfestival.com/

CROP OVER FESTIVAL

The Crop Over summer festival is Barbados' most popular and colourful festival. Its origins can be traced back to the 1780's, a time when Barbados was the world's largest producer of sugar. At the end of the sugar season, there was always a huge celebration to mark the culmination of another successful sugar cane harvest - the Crop Over celebration.

As the sugar industry in Barbados declined, so too did the Crop Over festival and in the 1940's the festival was terminated completely. However, the festival was revived in 1974 and other elements of Barbadian culture were infused to make the extravaganza that exists today ..... an event that attracts thousands of people from across the globe.

Activities During The Crop Over Festival

• The festival begins with the Ceremonial Delivery of the Last Canes and the crowning of the King and Queen of the Festival - the most productive male and female cane cutters of the season.
  
• Bridgetown Market consists of several stalls which sell local food and beverages as well as local arts and crafts. Enjoy the calypso music and the live tuk bands as you browse through the stalls.
  
• Cohobblopot is a huge carnival-like show with members of the Kadooment bands displaying their elaborate and stunning costumes. There is also a huge entertainment package with the most popular calypsonians and bands performing to packed audiences.
• The children are not left out as they can participate in the Kiddies Kadooment, donning beautiful costumes and joining their friends in a band to parade before the judges of the competition.
  
• Folk concerts and art and photographic exhibitions are integral parts of the festival, highlighting Barbadian history and culture as well as the artistic talents of Bajans.
  
• Calypso is one of the main features of the Crop Over festival. The calypsonians are organised into "tents" and these tents are sponsored by Barbados businesses. Calypsonians compete for several prizes and titles, including the Party Monarch, the Road March Monarch and the Pic-O-De-Crop Monarch. The Party Monarch and more recently the Sweet Soca competition are among the festivals most popular events! The finals of the Pic-O-De-Crop competition is held at Kensington Oval, and this is followed by the Fore-Day Morning Jump-Up!
  
• The grande finale is the Grand Kadooment! This carnival parade features large bands with members dressed in elaborate costumes to depict various themes. Designers compete for the coveted Designer of the Year prize while the revelers seem more intent on having a good time! The revelers make their way to Spring Garden accompanied by the pulsating rythym ofcalypso music. When they reach Spring Garden, the party continues with more fantastic music, lots of food and drink and, for some, a quick swim at the nearby beach. A grand end to a grand festival.