11 July - 1 August - 21st Tobago Heritage Festival, island-wide

21st Tobago Heritage Festival, 11 July - 1 August 2008

This unique folk festival has been held island-wide during mid summer since 1987, when it was created to celebrate and to help preserve Tobago's cultural heritage. It gives festival goers an authentic glimpse into Tobago's past and an insight into local traditions influenced by its European and African history. The festival is very much a community affair and people of all ages from villages throughout Tobago take their turn to host the activities. Festival events include music, dance, drama, storytelling, games, a beauty show, cuisine and sports.

Some of the villages have become known for specific themes. Moriah hosts the extremely popular Ole Time Tobago Wedding, in which villagers enact a traditional wedding in fancy dress. A bride and groom don full wedding attire, with the groom in top hat and tails, and invited guests also come suitably dressed. The night before the wedding a bachelor party is held with music and food and on the wedding day there is a church ceremony followed by a reception with cake and wine, speeches and live fiddle and tambourine music. Other interesting events include the Sea Festival at Black Rock, Salaka Feast at Pembroke with large cook-outs where villagers bake whole pigs in the earth, Natural Treasures Day in Charlotteville, the Ole Time Carnival and Ole Mas Parade in Plymouth, Games We Used To Play at Mason Hall, Goat Racing and Crab Racing at Buccoo, Christmas Customs of Yester Year at Harmony Hall and Folk Tales & Superstitions at Les Coteaux.

At the heart of the festival is the Heritage Village at the Dwight Yorke Stadium. Here the opening night is held and the Junior Heritage Festival, Caribbean Night and Folk Fiesta. This year's festival theme is 'one hand can't clap'. Approximately $6.5 million is being invested by the Tobago House of Assembly. The festival culminates on August 1st with an Emancipation Day Parade and a Food Fair at Pigeon Point Heritage Park.

For further information please see www.tobagoheritagefestival.com

For more things to do and see on Tobago, please see the complete 2008 Calendar of Events in our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Tobago.

5 July - 7 August - Crop Over Festival and Grand Kadooment, St Michael, Barbados

Barbados, Crop Over Festival and Grand Kadooment, 5 July to 7 August 2008

Probably the most eagerly awaited event amongst Barbados' calendar is the annual Crop Over Festival. Almost five weeks of activities culminate on the first Monday in August with a colourful parade of carnival bands known as the Grand Kadooment. Crop Over is a truly local event and marks the end of the sugarcane season with the Ceremonial Delivery of the Last Canes and the crowning of the King and Queen of the Crop. Over the weeks that follow there are concerts such as Pan in De City, Pan in De Park, Pan Pun De Sand (on the beach), Soca on De Hill, a folk concert and various calypso 'tents' or shows for competing calypsonians in the run up to the Pic-O-De-Crop and Party Monarch Calypso competitions.

On the last Saturday of the festival is the Foreday Morning Jump Up which is similar to J'ouvert at other carnivals. It is an early morning street party held along Spring Garden Highway in which party goers smear themselves in paint and oil. The following day is Cohobblopot when two events are held. The Queen and Monarch of the costumed bands parade and compete for prizes at the National Stadium and then there are the finals of the Calypso Contest. On the Monday is the big event, Grand Kadooment, a spectacular, soca-driven street procession that leads from the National Stadium to Spring Garden Highway. Huge sound systems on trucks pump out the calypso hits of the year to throngs of revellers who "jump-up" and "wind-up", whilst downing gallons of beer and rum. In the months leading up to this, the talk around the island will be which costumed band one ought to join, and which outfit to go for.

Membership of the carnival bands is not restricted to locals and one band which is fashionable with visitors is the Blue Box Cart band whose 'band house' is based at the popular nightspot, Harbour Lights. The band, which has been going since 1981, attracts people of all ages (from teens to 70s) and is always the first to enter the stadium. Members run at around 1000, of whom around 300 are visitors and the ratio of women to men is two to one. Prices for costumes run from about US$150 for men and $200 for women, which includes drinks, with a surcharge for a premium brand bar. On the day, the Blue Box Cart revellers will be accompanied by a fleet of trucks - two for music, three for bars, one with WCs, a water truck with a pressure hose to cool people down, a supply truck, and the Blue Box Cart which carries over 10,000lbs of ice. They even have their own cocktail named Blue Box Cart Punch, of which they will carry around 140 gallons! If you fancy joining a band and dancing along with them or would like more information on the festival please see www.cropoverfestival.com

The main events for this year's Crop Over Festival include: 05 July, Opening Gala, Queen's Park, Bridgetown; 10 July, Junior Monarch Concert, Frank Collymore Hall, Bridgetown; 11 July, Back in Time Pan, Speightstown Esplanade; 19 July, Junior Calypso Monarch Finals, Sherbourne Convention Centre; 20 July, Soca on De Hill, Farley Hill Park and Pan Pun De Sand, Brandon's Beach; 26 July Crop Over Folk Concert, Frank Collymore Hall, Junior Kadooment, National Stadium; 27 July, Party Monarch Finals, Ermy Bourne Highway, (East Coast Road). 01 August, Pic-o-de-Crop Finals, Kensington Oval; 02 & 03 August, Bridgetown Market, Spring Garden Highway; 02 August, Foreday Morning, Spring Garden Highway; 03 Aug, Cohobblopot, Kensington Oval; 04 Aug, Grand Kadooment Day, National Stadium to Spring Garden Highway; 07 Aug, Last Lap Craft Fair, Pelican Craft Village.

For more things to do and see on Barbados, please see the complete 2008 Calendar of Events in our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Barbados.

13 - 19 July - 16th Reggae Sumfest, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Jamaica, 16th Reggae Sumfest, 13-19 July 2008

Each summer around 30,000 reggae fans head to the Catherine Hall Entertainment Center in Montego Bay for the ultimate Caribbean party experience, Reggae Sumfest. The event is one of the highlights of the Jamaica music festival scene and includes not just reggae but other musical styles such Dancehall (on the Thursday night), R&B and Hip Hop. The concerts, which are held in the evenings, headline up to twenty performers a night and can run through until the wee hours of the morning. The festival kicks off with a huge beach party at Tropical Beach on Sunday and the concerts later in the week are also open-air. Chairs are not provided by the venue at Catherine Hall, so concert goers may want to take something to sit on. Unlike some of the other Caribbean music festivals, coolers with food and drink are not allowed. The venue does have a food court, plus a couple of bars and craft stalls, so there is ample opportunity to savour typical Jamaican fare or purchase locally made handicrafts.

This year's line-up is currently as follows: Sunday 13 July, beach party: music by DJs Classique and Danger Zone. Thursday 17 July: Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man, Mavado, Busy Signal, Vybz Kartel, Anthony B, Ninja Man, Wayne Marshall, Voice Mail, Erup, Assassin, Macka Diamond, Munga, Spice, Harry Toddler, Demarco, Serani, Little Hero, I Octane, Shane O, Danielle "Di", Nature, Mystic Man, Mikey Ranks, Madd Dogg, Chumps and Live Wyya Backing Band. Friday 18 July: Keyshia Cole, Ne-Yo, Jah Cure, Richie Spice, Coco Tea, Queen Ifrica, Courtney John and Pressure. Saturday 19 July: Beres Hammond, Tarrus Riley, John Holt, Brick & Lace and Etana.

Tickets are available on-line or on island from 21 designated ticket outlets in Montego Bay, Kingston, Negril, Ocho Rios and Mandeville. Ticket costs per person: Sunday, July 13, 2008 US$15, Thursday, July 17, 2008 US$ 30, Friday, July 18, 2008 US$ 45, Saturday, July 19, 2008 US$ 50. VIP Season Pass (all 4 events) * US$170, Red Green 7 Gold Pass ( Thur/Fri/Sat), US$115, VIP Red Green & Gold Pass (Thur/Fri/Sat) * US$160, Weekend Pass ( Fri/Sat) US$90, VIP Weekend Pass (/Fri/Sat) * US$120. *VIP Passes include limited backstage access, front of stage access and on-site parking.

Please see www.reggaesumfest.com for additional information and for more things to do and see on Jamaica, please see the complete 2008 Calendar of Events in our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Jamaica.

4 - 6 July 9th Portland Jerk Festival, Port Antonio, Jamaica

Jamaica, 9th Portland Jerk Festival, 4-6 July 2008

Jamaica boasts some intriguing food festivals, the Trelawney Yam Festival in March, the Bath Breadfruit Festival in August and then the increasingly popular Portland Jerk Festival which is held near Port Antonio In July. This year the Portland Jerk Festival has been extended to three days and events will be held in locations such as Folly Estates near Port Antonio and Boston Bay, which is known as the 'home of jerk'.

The official opening of the festival on Friday 4th July will take place at the Boston Playing Field at noon where a Children's Fun Day will run until 6pm. Later that evening a retro-costume party themed 'flavours of dancehall - a trip down memory lane' will take place at Boston Bay beach. On Saturday afternoon an all-inclusive beach party will be held at one of Jamaica's most picturesque beaches, Frenchman's Cove. The highlight of the weekend is the 'Big Show' in the grounds at Folly Estates. There will also be a Kids' Village, a cultural village, art and craft stalls and a stage show. Festival goers will be able to indulge themselves and feast on the best jerk food that Jamaica has to offer, with a selection of jerk pork, jerk chicken, jerk fish, jerk lobster, jerk sausage and jerk conch served with festivals (fried dumplings), baked breadfruit or yam, or rice and peas from over 25 stalls. There is even a jerk eating competition.

Musical entertainment over the weekend will be provided by some of Jamaica's popular acts with John Holt, Coppershot, Jenny Jenny and Dancing Dynamites at the retro-party from 8.30pm to 2am, Boston Beach on July 4. Then DJ Kurt Riley and Renaissance Disco play at the all-inclusive beach party from 1pm on 5 July at Frenchman's Cove. At the festival's 'Big Show' from (10am to 10pm on 6 July at Folly Estates), the performers will include Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires, Beenie Man, D'Angel, Peter Lloyd, Christopher Martin and Noddy Virtue.

If you want to try out jerk at home please see Rum n Recipes in this newsletter for Deana Bellamy's homemade Jerk Seasoning recipe.

For more things to do and see on Jamaica, please see the complete 2008 Calendar of Events in our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Jamaica.

23 Aug - Carib Great Race, Chaguaramas, Trinidad to Store Bay, Tobago

Trinidad to Tobago, Carib Great Race, 23 August 2008 - 40th Anniversary

The Great Race, a powerboat race from Trinidad to Tobago, has been thrilling spectators since 1969 and seems to have increased in popularity in recent years. Many Trinidadians travel across to Tobago and huge crowds turn out to support their favourite boat. The first Great Race took well over 2 ½ hours to make the journey between the two islands. Nowadays boats often reach speeds over 100mph and so the current record for the 86 mile journey stands at just 58 minutes. Not all boats manage to make it across, as the waters offshore can be incredibly hard on both the boats and the crew. Boats are divided into different categories (from the 40ft cigarette boats to pirogues) and there is a staggered start. At 7am the pirogue class sets off and an hour later the larger, faster boats leave.

The route runs from Pier 1 in Chaguaramas on the Gulf of Paria, out of the Dragon's Mouths into the open Caribbean Sea, then east along the north shore of Trinidad, dipping into Maracas Bay and continuing up to Grand Riviere before heading out to sea or what is known as the Shallows, over to Tobago. The closer the boats keep to the coast the less impact there is on the boat and crew, but the longer the journey. It is a feat to see which boat can withstand the rigours of racing further away from the coastline (longer boats travel more smoothly) and then out over the channel between the two islands. The boats then race up to Pigeon Point with one triangular lap in Milford Bay, before heading to the finish line at Store Bay. The winner is awarded by a cash prize of TT$100,000. The first boats roar into Store Bay at around 9am and kick-start a day long beach party. One of the most successful teams over the years has been Mr Solo. The first Mr Solo, a 28ft Bowen, won the race in 1970 and the current Mr Solo, a 40ft, 1700hp Fountain Cat, clinched a record 14th win in 2007 with a time of in 1hr 7 minutes.

For more things to do and see on Tobago, please see the complete 2008 Calendar of Events in our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Tobago.

YouTube video of 2007 Great Race which must have been taken from the chopper in the shot. It's rather shaky in areas but interesting.

5 - 29 August - Barbados Sports Camp, UWI Cave Hill Campus, St Michael, Barbados

Barbados Sports Camp, 5-29 August 2008

Parents heading out to Barbados this August for the summer holidays and looking for a fun and healthy way to keep their energetic or sports-mad children happy need worry no longer. There is still time to enrol youngsters, free of charge, into the Barbados Sports Camp. Launched by the Barbados Tourism Authority in 2007, the summer programme proved to be a huge success. This year hundreds of lucky 9 to 17 year olds will again enjoy coaching by an impressive list of British and Barbadian sporting superstars.

The summer camp will be held at the University of the West Indies sports ground at Cave Hill Campus and runs from 10am-2pm, Monday to Friday for the month of August. It offers free coaching in football, netball and cricket. The sports camp is available to both local and visiting children and provides an excellent opportunity for children to mix with each other and make new friends. The numbers are limited to around 100 children per sport, per day. Around 75% of the 300 daily allocation of places are already booked, but there are still a fair number of places still up for grabs.

The coaching team this August is currently as follows:

Football: Alan Hansen from 5th to 8th, Mark Bight from 11th to 15th, Sir Geoff Hurst from 18th to 22nd, David Seaman from 25th to 29th

Cricket: Either Desmond Haynes or Wayne Daniel from 05th to 8th, ditto for 11th to 15th, Gladstone Small from 18th to 22nd, Mike Gatting from 25th to 29th

Netball: Olivia Murphy from 05th to 8th, Alex Astle from 11th to 15th, Kendra Slawinski from 18th to 22nd, Fiona Murtagh from 25th to 29th

Children will need to be suitably attired for their chosen sport and parents will need to provide them with their own food and drink. For more information and how to enroll please see www.barbadossportscamp.com

For more things to do and see on Barbados, please see the complete 2008 Calendar of Events in our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Barbados.

25 July - 4 August - 43rd Carriacou Regatta Festival, Hillsborough, Carriacou

Grenada and Carriacou, 43rd Carriacou Regatta Festival, 25 July - 4 August, 2008

The festival is a fun and lively event first started in the mid sixties to help preserve the long tradition of sailing and yacht-building handed down by Carriacou's early Irish and Scottish forefathers. The regatta is held over the Emancipation Holiday weekend at the beginning of August and is a community affair that caters to all ages. It includes some land-based sporting and cultural activities, but of course as you would expect sailing lies at the heart of the event, in which local crews compete with sailors from Grenada, all the islands along the Grenadines, St Vincent, Martinique, Tobago and even as far away as Antigua. The focus is on the locally built working boats but there are normally around 12 classes of boats in all, ranging from 13 to 35ft. They include island sloops and yachts.

In the lead-up to the holiday weekend there is a healthy round of 'shore activities' starting 25th July which includes a string band party, a church service, a karaoke evening, a boat cruise, the Aquaval Queen show and a smattering of parties which are known locally as fetes. There is also an impressive 'onshore programme' on August 3rd and 4th, with a mix of sporting and fun events for the entertainment of the spectators. Many of the events hark back to childhood days and so you can expect to see balloon shaving, needle & thread, egg & spoon and balloon races, musical chairs alongside other games such as the greasy pole and tug-o-war, weight lifting, model boats and beer drinking competitions. Other events include road relays, beach volleyball, May pole dances, a treasure hunt, swimming races, a Huggies children derby and the ever popular donkey race.

For further information on the Carriacou Regatta Festival please see www.carriacouregatta.com

For more things to do and see on Carriacou or Grenada, please see the complete 2008 Calendar of Events in our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Grenada and Carriacou.

11 - 14 September 18th International Billfish Tournament, The Marina at Marigot Bay, St Lucia

St Lucia, 18th International Billfish Tournament, 11-14 September 2008

The winning catch at last year's tournament, a Blue Marlin hauled in by Daniel Agostini on the Trinidadian boat Gud Tyme, weighed in at 657lbs. The event attracted over 100 anglers with 23 boats and was hosted by the St Lucia Game Fishing Association at the picturesque Marina at Marigot Bay which has been the venue for the tournament now for two years.

The tournament is a qualifying round for the Rolex/IGFA Offshore Championship and this year's top prize for a new tournament record will be a Suzuki Jimny SUV. Current records are Blue Marlin 707lbs, Tuna 120lbs, Dolphin (Dorado/Mahi Mahi) 43 lbs and Wahoo 63 lbs. There are also prizes for tag and release catches. The Billfish (Xiphiide family) species includes Marlin, Sailfish, Swordfish and Longbill Spearfish.

For further information please see www.stluciabillfish.com

For more things to do and see on St Lucia, please see the complete 2008 Calendar of Events in our Definitive Caribbean Guide to St Lucia.