Elegant Hotels Guide to Crop Over

Guide to Barbados Crop Over Festival
Known fondly as the “sweetest summer festival,” Crop
Over is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated events
on the Barbados calendar. The festival dates back to
the 1780s, when Barbados was one of the world’s
famous producers of sugar, and a festival was held at
the culmination of each sugar season, when the ‘crop
was over’.
Officially commencing with the Ceremonial Delivery of
the Last Canes in June, the twelve week festival is
packed with a long list of events and activities ensuring
that there’s something for everyone, including calypso
competitions, arts and crafts symposiums, street fairs,
steel pan concerts on the beach, j’ouvert paint parties
and more. It all culminates on the first Monday of
August with Grand Kadooment, where revelers dress in
colorful costumes and parade through the streets to
calypso music.
With the end of this beloved festival only a few weeks
away, be sure to follow this guide to enjoy an authentic
Crop Over experience like a local.
If you’re interested in the Crop Over festivities, our
Concierge team can help plan your bespoke Crop Over
experience.
Experience
Crop Over
Like a Local
ATTEND A FETE
As the host of one of the biggest and best carnival
festivals around, it’s no surprise that Bajans know how
to party. When was the last time you partied until the
sun was came up, or attended an event with an
inflatable water slide and foam zone that wasn’t a kid’s
birthday? With a host of all-inclusive breakfast parties
(which begin at 3 a.m. and go on well until 10 a.m.),
‘wet fetes’, booze cruises and beach jams, you won’t
be left wanting.
Elegant Top Tip: Our concierge team can recommend
the hottest parties of the season and help to arrange
ticket purchases and transportation to the events.
follow this guide to enjoy an authentic Crop Over
experience like a local.
WUK UP
You can’t get through Crop Over without moving your
hips to the season’s hottest calypso tunes. “Wukking
up”, as it is known in Barbados, is all about moving
your hips to the sound of sweet soca music. You
can’t escape the infectious up-tempo songs, which are
played constantly throughout the season. Before you
know it, you’ll be wining and wuking with the best of
them!
TRY LOCAL FOOD
With all of the partying you’ll be sure to enjoy, make
Elegant Top Tip: Turtle Beach hosts Calypso Lessons
sure you fuel your body with some delicious Bajan
which provide instruction on local dance moves
eats and drinks. Indulge in the local fare with a typical
including wukking up, jumping, prancing and more.
Bajan meal of macaroni pie, flying fish and salad or,
for something lighter, try a flying fish cutter or fish
cakes. Of course, no trip to Barbados is complete
VISIT BRIDGETOWN MARKET
without a glass of rum punch or a Banks beer.
Bridgetown Market is a spectacular three-day street
fair usually held on the last weekend of the season. It
Elegant Top Tip: Guests can lime, eat and drink like
is a melting pot of Bajan culture, featuring local
a local at Colony Club’s Market Night, an informal,
entertainment, traditional Bajan folk characters,
family friendly dinner featuring local foods and
handmade arts and crafts, local delicacies and
beverages, karaoke, face painting and more.
beverages and more.
Elegant Top Tip: Guests can sign up with Tamarind’s
Flying Fish Kids Club for a first hand experience of
Bridgetown Market.
PLAY MAS
Mega Monday. Jump Up Day.
Grand Kadooment.
Whichever you choose to call it, Kadooment Day is the
ultimate end to the Crop Over festivities. Held on the first
Monday of August, Kadooment celebrations see the streets
of Barbados overtaken by revelers who are adorned in
colourful feathered and bejeweled costumes. With music
trucks keeping the calypso music pumping and drink trucks
keeping the rum flowing, locals and tourists alike jump,
dance and ‘chip’ from the National Stadium to Spring Garden
Highway, bringing a spectacular close to the sweetest
summer festival.
Elegant Top Tip: Colony Club and Turtle Beach will be
bringing family friendly elements of Kadooment and Crop
Over to their guests.
Kids are not left out of the season’s festivities, as they have a
fun event all their own. The Junior Kadooment Parade, more
commonly known as Kiddies Kadooment, provides children
the opportunity to hit the streets in grand style! The kids
parade across the National Stadium showcasing the
colourful and creative costumes designed by talented
Barbadian junior band leaders.
Elegant Top Tip: Guests of Crystal Cove can enjoy a
Kadooment Family Fun Fair, which will feature a live parade
by a local Kiddies Kadooment band.