Held during the last week of February, the annual Holetown Festival commemorates the settlement of Barbados in February 1627, when 80 English settlers landed at what is now known as Holetown aboard a ship called the William and John. With them were ten african slaves who had been captured on the voyage. It was from this day that Barbados became a British Colony. The Holetown festival was started by a committee of private citizens, in 1977, and originally took place on the weekend nearest the dates of landing. It has become so poular that it now takes place for a full week ending on Sunday.
Entertainment includes a variety of music, such as gospel, classical, tuk and calypso.
Folk dancing, open air concerts, arts and crafts exhibition, a parade of vintage motor vehicles and a military display all add tremendous excitment to the festivities. A grand street fair, where vendors' stalls offer a wide range of indigenous arts and crafts, as wells as local food, snacks and beverages. Holetown, on the placid west coast is located in the heart of the tourist belt of that part of the island, and the festival has proven to be popular with tourists from all over the world and locals alike. For more info or to arrange your stay in Barbados please contact us.