My Barbados Blog

The purpose of the week long Holetown Festival held from Feb 13 to Feb 20 is to commemorate the anniversary of the first settlement which was in 1625. Holetown is located in the parish of St. James on the West coast of Barbados, just north of the capital Bridgetown. The west coast is known as the "Platinum Coast" with its white, sandy beaches and home to the rich and famous visiting celebrities.

This was the 29th year the festival and parade was held highlighting Bajan arts and crafts as well as Barbados culture and history. Free concerts were offered each night of the festival, and other events included fashion shows, lectures and a beauty pageant with the crowning of the Holetown Festival Queen, Shanika Haynes.  

The Royal Barbados Police Band (left) performed on Friday at the Grand Floodlit Tatoo sponsored by Chefette. Chefette is to Barbados what KFC is to the USA, and KFC is also very popular on the island. 

The Ceremony of Beating Retreat by the Zouave Band of the Barbados Defence Force performed during the start of the festival.
Zouave Band

I was amazed at the number of quality vendors at the festival that offered just about any and everything anyone could possibly want to purchase from arts & crafts, clothing, food, jewelry, toys, fine artwork, books, and much more. It was a very hot morning, and the vendors were stringing lights over their booths, so it was evident they were planning to go all day and into the evening.

Everyone was in a festival mood on Saturday, and most of the visitors and Bajans had taken the shady spots by the time we arrived from the South coast. Most of the excitement was waiting for the parade which was sponsored by Banks Beer and Cola Cola. It was difficult to find a good spot to capture some of the parade on film, but I managed to cross the street for a better view. Here's a few of the pictures I managed to capture of the parade, and you can click on each for a larger image.


Barbados Cadet Corps
Erdiston Primary School Marchers

Dancin' Africa Performers Aside from the Cadet Band, Tuk Band, Queen and Marchers, the parade also showcased 24 vintage cars. Most of the cars were British models from the 1930's and 1970's, and there was even an American Army Jeep (that was a surprise). Also several Harley and other motorcycle riders were in the parade.




Shanika Haynes Festival Queen
Luther Thorne Primary School
Tuk Band Leading Parade
Kids Line Up Before Parade
Vintage Cars

All in all we had a great time in Holetown, and we found a wonderful restaurant called Indigo where we had an enjoyable lunch on the second day of the festival, and they also serve breakfast. The atmosphere is very cool, relaxing and you'll enjoy the trade wind breezes. They have a varied menu that will please most customers. It just happened to be Valentine's Day, and the restaurant gave red roses to all the female customers. I would definitely return to Indigo.
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INDIGO RESTAURANT, HOLETOWN, BARBADOS

OTHER PLACES TO VISIT IN HOLETOWN

At The Chattel House Village you'll find jewelry, souvenirs, t-shirts and Bajan arts and crafts. Make sure you stop at Walker's World which has a hugh shopping selection.

Cocomos, which is right across from Sunset Crest Shopping Center offers very affordable lunches, which you can have right on the beach. Many of the bars and restaurants in the Holetown area are right on the beach, and a perfect place for a cool Caribbean cocktail, and watching the sunset. The Baku Beach Club is a popular, inexpensive laid back place for informal lunch and dining.

Holetown really jumps at night, and if you head down to 1st street you'll find Tam's Wok (one of the best Chinese award winning restaurant in the world), Ragamuffins a funky popular hang out in an original chattel house. Another popular place is Angry Annie's which serves great BBQ, and juicy steaks, and on 2nd street you'll find Olive's Bar & Bistro which serves innovative pizzas; Mediterranean and Caribbean cuisine. Upstairs at Olive's is a popular bar for locals and visitors alike.  Most of the restaurants and bars on 1st and 2nd street open up in the evening, and are NOT open for lunch.

For fine dining, the restaurants at Glitter Bay and Sandy Lane are within walking distance of Sunset Crest, and are open to the public. At both restaurants, especially Sandy Lane, the fare will be quite expensive.

Tuk Sax  Player  With Visitor (Click for larger  image)The musical instruments in the Tuk Band are a Tin Flute or Sax, A Kettle Drum and a Bass Drum. This is a roving band of three, always interacting with the audience and get any celebration or festival started on the island of Barbados.

Their history goes back 120 years in Barbados, and the origin is from the British military drums mixed with soulful African rhythms. The music was banned by the British during slavery, but after emancipation the Tuk Band has been a staple of Bajan society. The Tuk Band plays at Crop Over, and other island celebrations and festivals. They can also been seen roving the communities during the Christmas holiday season.

The music begins slowly, and as they play the beat turns into a pulsating march, and then ends with fast pace African rhythm. You can't help but pat your feet or break into a dance when the Tuk Band gets going.
It was extremely hot this year, and it was quite amazing how long and hard they played at the Holetown Festival.

The big drum gives out a big sound with a deep "boom-a-tuk" sound. There were two Tuk Bands, at the festival this year - one with a flute and the other with a sax. I was impressed with the sound of both Tuk Bands, and you could see in their faces that both bands really enjoy their music and performing for the public.