Take A Cue From Mardi Gras: Celebrate Culture in the Caribbean By Natasha Carvell, Editor February 2006 Feeling blue about a shortened Mardi Gras this year? Before hanging up your beads for 2006, consider this: As the iconic city of New Orleans fights to regain its structural, cultural, and economic stature in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, plans for a scaled down and shortened version of the festival are in full swing with the revivalist theme of “Phoenix Rising.” And the good times don’t end there. Nearly every island in the Caribbean also hosts an annual festival akin to Mardi Gras, all of which are sure to sate any lingering appetite you may have for a party of typical Mardi Gras proportions this year. From the reverberations of the Big Drums in tiny Nevis during Culturama to the grand poobah of Carnival celebrations in Trinidad and Tobago, the islands of the Caribbean are resounding with festivals and revelry throughout the year. Here’s just a sampling of what’s in store for you in the Caribbean in 2006 – so let the merrymaking begin! TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – Carnival Feb. 27-28, 2006 Among the most culturally-vibrant islands in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago are home to a creative, spirited majority African and Indian populace. The island’s rich literature and theater scenes are vital components of this rich heritage. Nobel Prize winner V.S. Naipaul hails from Chaguanas, near Port of Spain; renowned poet Derek Walcott helped to found the formidable Trinidad Theatre Workshop; and The Mighty Sparrow reigns as the Calypso King of the World in his adopted homeland. Trinbagonians are known for their fierce sense of national pride and profound love for a good party, so a perpetual parade of festivals swaggers through the year, but by far the biggest and most outrageous of these is Carnival. Nearly every Caribbean nation has a form of it, but Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival is the original and its grandeur, intricacy, and passion are unrivaled. While Carnival is the island’s biggest festival, Devali, the Hindu Festival of Lights in October, is stunning not only for its display of millions of lit deyas, or small candles, in honor of the Goddess Lakshmi, but also for the succulent vegetarian Caribbean-Indian cuisine that vendors sell on the streets during the festival, such as roti filled with curried vegetables. GRAND CAYMAN — Cayfest April 1-13, 2006 Storytelling is such an integral aspect of Caymanian culture that it seeps into even the most sober of the island’s industries: one creatively conjured legend explains Grand Cayman’s eminence in offshore banking with a tale of a grateful King George awarding the country tax free status after locals helped rescue the crew and cargo of wrecked English merchant ships in 1788. A month-long event called Cayfest is held every April and celebrates every form of unique Caymanian culture, from shipbuilding and thatching lessons to open-mike poetry jams and storytelling events like Granny Backyard, a radio event during which Caymanian women reminiscence about the lonely days when the men were at sea. Overall, life on Grand Cayman has kicked back into high gear, with much of the post-Hurricane Ivan construction wrapping up and the opening of a number of important new properties on the island, including the much-anticipated Ritz Carlton. Play a round of golf on the Greg Norman-designed course or get a treatment at La Prairie Swiss Spa while admiring the resort’s stunning vantage point on Seven Mile Beach. The resort’s commitments to ecology and local culture, evidenced by its Ambassadors of the Environment children’s program and the creation of an Executive Director of Culture, Environment and Destination Services management position, give it an air of true Caymanian authenticity. BARBADOS – Crop Over Festival July-August, 2006 Proper English charm meets the laid-back Caribbean culture in Barbados, where all of the island’s brilliant white sand beaches are public. Seaside villages, pubs, and English-style country churches dot the landscape, and afternoon tea (or gin and tonics) and lively cricket games are daily occurrences. The Friday and Saturday night Fish Fries in the South Coast fishing community of Oistins shouldn’t be missed. Besides the obvious impossibly fresh fried and grill fish like shark, flying fish, marlin, and barracuda, a grand feast of local specialties like macaroni pie and sweet potato is served up and washed down with tall rum drinks to the tune of live Caribbean music like soca and calypso. The five-week summer festival known as Crop Over celebrates the sugar cane harvest and dates back to the late 18th century when the island was the world’s largest sugar producer. The most productive male and female cane cutters are named King and Queen of the festival and the Pic-O-De-Crop calypso competition pits “tents” of calypsonians against one another for the Party and Road March Monarch titles. JAMAICA – Reggae Sumfest July 16-22, 2006 Whatever your poison – rum punch on the deck at Rick’s Bar while waiting for a green flash at sunset or an ice cold Red Stripe combined with the warmth of a boonoonoonoo (beach party) bonfire, wrangling over straw goods at a colorful craft market, or dancing rocksteady and reggae clubs of Kingston or Negril – Jamaica’s got the delivery technique down pat. Sponsored by Red Stripe, the annual Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay in July features top reggae and dancehall performers. If you’re looking for sustenance to keep up with the boundless energy of Sumfest, true Jamaican flavor is best found at one of the country’s countless roadside jerk shacks. No amount of gourmet food or celebrity chef influence can take the place of or replicate the flavor of pimento smoked and scotch bonnet pepper-flavored meat from these classic lean-tos. And if you’re looking for a little relaxation amidst the hullabaloo of Sumfest or another of Jamaica’s raucous festivals, the Ritz Carlton Rose Hall is a class-act Montego Bay property packs a pretty one-two punch with both a top-rated Caribbean golf course and one of the most glowingly-reviewed spas in the West Indies which uses plenty of local plants for its treatments, like the oh-so-soothing pineapple and papaya enzyme wrap. NEVIS – Culturama July 28-Aug. 8, 2006 Most days, a cloud snags loosely onto the tip of Mt. Nevis, a 3,232 ft. peak that rises up in the middle of the lush island. Sociable green vervet monkeys roa about, ignoring golfers as they ramble in troupes across lush courses and stop traffic on city streets, and locals pull up chairs in the shade to play a game of dominoes. The tiny, seven mile-long, five mile-wide isle of Nevis is known for its simple pleasures, but come Culturama time, the reverberating thuds of Big Drums, parade whistles, and infectious Calypso rhythms and Kaiso song contests demand attention. Commemorating the island’s folklore, history, creativity, and beauty through elaborate pageantry, tireless revelry, and local cuisine, Culturama is celebrated every summer (late July/early August) over Emancipation Day weekend. Beyond Culturama, year-around fun can be had at Sunshine’s Beach Shack Bar & Grill, eponymous for the charming proprietor of local descent, heaping helpings of simply prepared grilled lobster, chicken, and fish are dished out daily and a signature legendary rum drink called the Killer Bee is served at the rustic, beach-front establishment which squats in stark contrast to, but happy harmony with, the adjacent Four Seasons Resort. A Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed golf course is the main attraction at this luxury property, but don’t discount its location on Nevis’s most stunning stretch of shoreline. The resort’s architecture is reminiscent of the island’s traditional British aesthetic. BERMUDA – Bermuda Music Festival October 2006 While there has been some recent concern that the traditional professional men’s garb of long shorts and ties may be dying out, many of the classic images of Bermuda endure as it wraps up its quincentennial year celebrations in 2005. From endless stretches of pink sand beach to spirited cricket games, classical music festivals to water sports, Bermuda retains its trademark panache in every way. For ten years, Bermuda has hosted one of the Western Atlantic’s top music festivals. Formerly known as the Bermuda Jazz Festival, the Bermuda Music Festival has expanded and the lineup now includes some of the world’s legendary R&B, soul, and jazz acts sharing the stage with local Bermudian performers and steel band music champions every fall. TURKS & CAICOS – Conch Festival November 2006 When astronaut John Glenn famously splashed down into the waters near Grand Turk after orbiting the earth in 1962, he was just one in a long line of explorers who landed there. The legacy of shipwrecks and wayward travelers has long been a part of Turks and Caicos history, but it’s only in the past 40 years that people have been purposely landing on the pristine powered-sugar beaches of these exotic isles. The Conch Festival recognizes and celebrates the islands’ reliance on the sea for their livelihood and entertainment. Named for the mollusk (pronounced “konk”) popular in Caribbean cooking, this late November event features conch cooking contests, diving races, treasure hunts, live music, and more. BAHAMAS – Junkanoo Dec. 26, 2006 There are 700 islands in the Bahamas, but only 30 are inhabited. Over two-thirds of the population live in Nassau. So it figures that once you venture outside the port-of-call capital city’s banks, cruise ships, and casinos, the pace slows to a perfect Caribbean crawl. Music plays a central role in this festive nation, with traditional rake and scrape goombay rhythms resonating from goatskin in beachside villages and big cities alike, with plenty of dancing to accompany them. The day after Christmas can be a bit of a let-down in many places around the globe, but not in the Bahamas, where the party is just starting. Locals take to the streets from 2am to 8am for Junkanoo, a fiercely competitive parade of most flamboyant colors, masks, and costumes imaginable and “rushin” (two steps forward, one step back) to the raucous clatter of cowbells, goatskin drums, and whistles. So dig out your party hats and pack your dancin’ shoes. With a Caribbean festival jamming the streets, parading through the neighborhoods, and serving up the best of island culture and cuisine in every season of 2006, there’s no need for a shortened Marti-Gras to deter all you culture-creatures, chowhounds, and party animals from celebrating in style this year. For more travel tips and advice, check out Amy Ziff’s monthly column, Travel Trends & Advice from A to Z, at www.travelocity.com/atoz. To suggest a topic for a future column or to tell about a travel experience of your own, please email Amy Ziff at ask.amy@travelocity.com.

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