2008 SPRING/SUMMER EVENTS IN GRENADA & CARRIACOU

04-14-2008

 

Grenada & Carriacou are the Places to be

this Spring & Summer

 

 

St. George’s, Grenada, April 11, 2008 - - Grenada and its sister island of Carriacou, two Caribbean islands rich in culture and tradition, will feature several unique events in the spring and summer this year - - the Grenada Drum Festival, Gouyave Fisherman’s Birthday, Carriacou Regatta and Carnival.  Each event will offer its own special taste of Grenada and Carriacou’s rich cultural heritage.

GRENADA DRUM FESTIVAL:

The community of Tivoli, located in the tropical setting of northeastern Grenada, invites visitors to join in a rich celebration of life and music.  At this year’s Grenada Drum Festival, from May 2^nd – 4^th, visitors can get in touch with the soul of Grenadian culture through drumming and dancing.

 

Tivoli is the birthplace of the annual Drum Festival and home to the Tivoli Drummers who carry out traditions in a way all of their own.  The Tivoli Drummers developed a unique style of choreographed drumming and dancing that is sure to please the eyes and ears, as well as get visitors up on their feet. 

 

FISHERMAN’S BIRTHDAY:

 

On June 29^th of every year, Grenada celebrates the birthday of St. Peter, the patron saint of Fisherman. The historic fishing village of Gouyave, where the weekly Fish Friday Festival takes place, is the main venue for these activities. In recent years, it has grown to include community sporting and cultural events during a week-long celebration leading up to June 29th.

 

The day itself features fishermen, vendors and their families attending church services, followed by a procession to the bay, where the priest blesses brilliantly decorated boats. This is followed by exciting boat races, eye-catching displays of the various species of fish, a lively DJ competition and joyous late evening parties.

 

For more information on the Fisherman’s Birthday celebration, visit http://www.gogouyave.com/fisherman_birthday.htm .

 

CARRIACOU REGATTA:

 

The Carriacou Regatta began in 1965, as a local boat race using traditional fishing workboats, to continue the indigenous art of boat building, handed down by Irish and Scottish ancestors on the island of Carriacou.  It has evolved into a major Caribbean event, with keen competition among sailors from many of the neighboring islands like Tobago, Martinique, Antigua and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

In 2008, the Carriacou Regatta Festival celebrates its 43^rd anniversary from August 1^st – 4^th .

For more information, visit www.carriacouregatta.com.

 

 CARNIVAL:

Every year, during the second weekend of August, Grenada brings out its French and African traditions as music, dance, and pageantry combine to create the island’s Carnival celebration.  This annual affair, which features festivities like the “Parade of the Bands,” masquerades, Calypso, Soca and Steel Band competitions, is the hottest event on the island’s calendar. 

Beginning on August 8^th and continuing through to August 12^th, visitors and residents attend nightly events and join in street jump-ups culminating with the ‘Las Lap’ jump-up where hundreds of masqueraders parade through the streets of Grenada.

For more information, visit www.spicemasgrenada.com.

Known as the “Spice Island of the Caribbean,” Grenada boasts some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful beaches, delectable cuisine and spices, a tropical rainforest, and a wide range of fun-filled activities such as world-class diving, snorkeling, hiking, fishing and sailing.  Grenada can be reached from the U.S. via Air Jamaica and American Eagle.  Carriacou is reachable with St. Vincent Grenada Air (SVG) from Grenada, as well as via Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Carriacou is also reachable via The Osprey, a motorized catamaran that departs twice a day from Grenada. 

 

For more information on the beautiful islands of Grenada and Carriacou, contact the Grenada Board of Tourism at (800) 927-9554 or visit their website at www.grenadagrenadines.com.

 

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