Barbados Stages “Sweetest” Festival: Crop Over
Who needs an excuse for a foodie celebration, but the end of the annual sugar cane harvest on a Caribbean island is as good as any! Barbados‘ “Crop Over 2009” is underway through August 3, 2009. The “sweetest” festival commemorates the sugar cane season with an extravaganza of music, masquerade, heritage and culture. The grand finale, and national holiday, known as Kadooment Day, occurs August 3, 2009, with a colorful and lively parade of costumed dancers and fireworks.
Crop Over dates back to the 1780s, when Barbados was one of the world’s foremost sugar producers, and has evolved to become a series of entertainment and heritage events. It began in May, and continues into the summer with Heritage Fairs highlighting artists and their crafts and culminates in August with big stage shows boasting pyrotechnics, flashing lights and booming sound systems.
During the final three days of Crop Over, Spring Garden Highway is the heart of the festival. The entire stretch of road is converted to a bustling marketplace of arts and crafts, traditional foods, plus entertainment including steel bands, dance groups, folk performers, gospel singers and calypsonians.
One of the highlights of Crop Over is the Pic-O-De-Crop Finals, occurring July 31, 2009, when 10 finalists will compete for the year’s Crown and top prizes in a calypso competition.
