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/