Crop Over is a festival which began as far back as 1780, and continued on until 1940. In 1975 it was reborn and continues to be celebrated for a month every July in Barbados. Originally this festival began as a celebration of the end of the crops, back when Barbados was one of the largest exporters of sugar cane. Today, it is a national celebration celebrated with musical competitions, dancing and arts. The festival has become so big, even Rihanna returns home to make an appearance among the crowd.
I attended three events for this festival, the pan on the sand, the foreday morning (my favorite) and the kadoonment parade.
The pan on the sand was performed in a beautiful location right along Brandon's Beach, where by-standards could stand within the stage area, or only a few meters away on the beach as they listened to the Barbadian pan music for several hours. Much like all events I went to for this festival, the rum was flowing, the crowd was alive and dancing and the talented performers provided ample entertainment to keep the audience going all night.
Foreday morning began at midnight, or at least that is the time it is set to start. Even events in Barbados often begin several hours after the start time. It continues on until sunrise, with Bajans dancing in the streets covering each other in paint and mud as bands march in between keeping the music alive. This year it was marked the largest crop over event, with 46 bands and 21,000 participants.
Feeling old, and well aware of the fact that there would be no shortage of rum at the event, I drank 2 cups of coffee to prepare for this event, instead of pre-drinking...I have been going to bed relatively early for several weeks now, in order to wake up early for diving, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to stay up!
However, the concern was not at all warranted. Shortly after arriving I became wide awake, thriving off of the energy of the crowd as we danced down the street listening to a part of the Mosaic and Mojito bands play as they marched along side. I became so caught up in the festivities that when the sun rose, I couldn't believe it was already nearly 6 in the morning. I would most definitely recommend attending this event if you are lucky enough to be in Barbados during CropOver. Be sure to wear old clothes as you will end up covered in paint and don't worry about the time, there is so much energy in the crowd, you will not even notice what time it is until the sky begins to brighten again.
Kadoonment was probably my least favorite, but one of the largest events. It marks the end of CropOver and begins with a march around a stadium to have the costumes judged before taking to the long walk through the streets which carries on late into the afternoon. While many of these costumes were remarkably well done, others were nonexistent, with some contenders literally painting on their costume, in hopes that it did not rain. While it was something to see, perhaps Foreday morning set the bar too high for this parade to compete.
If you are traveling through Barbaodos in July, be sure to consult the Crop Over calender and attend an event!
For more detailed information on the events, please see my friend Alex's blog at:
http://caribbeanwave.blogspot.com/
I attended three events for this festival, the pan on the sand, the foreday morning (my favorite) and the kadoonment parade.
The pan on the sand was performed in a beautiful location right along Brandon's Beach, where by-standards could stand within the stage area, or only a few meters away on the beach as they listened to the Barbadian pan music for several hours. Much like all events I went to for this festival, the rum was flowing, the crowd was alive and dancing and the talented performers provided ample entertainment to keep the audience going all night.
Foreday morning began at midnight, or at least that is the time it is set to start. Even events in Barbados often begin several hours after the start time. It continues on until sunrise, with Bajans dancing in the streets covering each other in paint and mud as bands march in between keeping the music alive. This year it was marked the largest crop over event, with 46 bands and 21,000 participants.
Feeling old, and well aware of the fact that there would be no shortage of rum at the event, I drank 2 cups of coffee to prepare for this event, instead of pre-drinking...I have been going to bed relatively early for several weeks now, in order to wake up early for diving, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to stay up!
However, the concern was not at all warranted. Shortly after arriving I became wide awake, thriving off of the energy of the crowd as we danced down the street listening to a part of the Mosaic and Mojito bands play as they marched along side. I became so caught up in the festivities that when the sun rose, I couldn't believe it was already nearly 6 in the morning. I would most definitely recommend attending this event if you are lucky enough to be in Barbados during CropOver. Be sure to wear old clothes as you will end up covered in paint and don't worry about the time, there is so much energy in the crowd, you will not even notice what time it is until the sky begins to brighten again.
Kadoonment was probably my least favorite, but one of the largest events. It marks the end of CropOver and begins with a march around a stadium to have the costumes judged before taking to the long walk through the streets which carries on late into the afternoon. While many of these costumes were remarkably well done, others were nonexistent, with some contenders literally painting on their costume, in hopes that it did not rain. While it was something to see, perhaps Foreday morning set the bar too high for this parade to compete.
If you are traveling through Barbaodos in July, be sure to consult the Crop Over calender and attend an event!
For more detailed information on the events, please see my friend Alex's blog at:
http://caribbeanwave.blogspot.com/
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