Commemorating the first English settlement in Barbados in 1627, the Holetown Festival is a week-long event showcasing Bajan arts and crafts as well as celebrating history and culture through public talks and photographic exhibitions.

Fair & concerts

The road through Holetown is taken over by a street fair, tuk bands – three musicians playing bass and kettle drums and a penny whistle (pictured above, in Bridgetown) – stilt walkers, parades, a fun run (or walk, if you prefer) and a host of other activities. There are nightly free open-air concerts too featuring a cocktail of sounds from steel pan to calypso, gospel to soca, as local groups and big-name artists and DJs take to the stage, plus there’s the inevitable karaoke.

Grand Floodlit Tattoo

The finale is the Grand Floodlit Tattoo, which features the Royal Barbados Police Force in all its guises, from the mounted troop and motorcycle core to the canine and rescue units, who demonstrate their considerable skills to the beat of the police band.

Practical Info

The festival’s programme of events is available online.

The tattoo is held as Trent’s Playing Field, a few hundred metres north of Holetown along the main coastal road. Check the link for transport details.