Crop Over - Barbados Summer Carnival
The Crop Over Celebration on the island of Barbados is a five week long annual summer carnival that takes place in the months of July and August.
Crop Over is the centerpiece of the Bajan culture and history, and is the largest celebration held on the island.
The summer carnival is filled with parades, colorful floats, exotic costumes and masquerades, concerts, art and photography exhibits, local vendor exhibits and plenty of music, food and fun for the entire family.
Even the Bajan Children get involved with their own carnival which is called the Kiddies Kadooment.
Cropover begins with the the Delivery of the Last Canes, and the crowning of the King and Queen of the Festival. The king and queen are the most productive male and female sugar cane cutters of the season.
Calypso is the one of the most popular music featured during the Crop Over festival.
Local businessmen sponsor groups called "tents", and there is a fierce competition for top prizes and recognition.
The semi finals of the calypso tents are held on the East coast of the island, and finals are held at the National Stadium.
After the finals, another lively party, called a "jump up" starts right up at 2:00 a.m., and goes on til dawn.
The semi and finals are two events not to be missed if you plan on attending Crop Over.
Another popular event in the five week carnival is Cohobblopot, which is a huge carnival show with the members of the Kadooment bands displaying their stunning costumes.
All the popular bands compete to see who will win the coveted King & Queen of the Bands.
The Calypso National Stadium contest involves fierce competition, and this is the event many of the locals have waited an entire year to see. The very best Caribbean entertainers are always on hand to perform at this event, and you should get tickets early since the
Grand Kadooment is the grand finale of Crop Over.
All the island designers are in competition for the Designer of the Year prize.
After the festivities at the stadium, party goer's dance along with the masquerade bands, making their way from the National Stadium to Spring Garden.
The parade route is not for the faint of heart, and it can take over 2 hours to complete the journey.
Once you've made your way, the pulsating music, good food and cool drinks will take you into the wee hours of the morning.
There's a great beach to cool off, and this is one of the best beach parties in the Caribbean that ends with a fireworks display under the beautiful starry night sky.
The Grand Kadooment is always the first Monday in August.