The best time to visit Barbados, for those with a marine bias, is April, during the Oistins Fish Festival, which takes place over Easter weekend except Easter Sunday. This festival highlights the Barbados fishing industry and the popular fishing village of Oistins, which is also where the Barbados Charter was signed between Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth Government and the opposing forces of the Barbados colonial government, in 1652.
Activities during the Oistins Fish Festival include popular competitions such as deboning (filleting), net tossing and fish cooking.
Visit Barbados only when it is sport fishing season, in the first week of April, the Barbados International Fishing Tournament is held. If you don’t like competition, charter a fully equipped sport fishing boat and go after 500 pounds more marlin.
April is also the month for the Reggae Festival which takes place outdoors in Farley Hill National Park, as well as a popular beach and indoor venue. Local and international artists are exhibited.
Come to Barbados only when car racing races abound throughout the month of May.
Labor Day, May 1, is MUD FEST, when Mud Dogs feast on you guessed it, mud. Nestled on a hillside in rural Barbados, overlooking the scenic east coast, it is the site of this all-day 4X4 monster truck and jeep competition. The man and the machine challenge themselves against various obstacles, such as the mud pit.
Starting in May and running through June is the Barbados Rally Carnival with local and international car drivers.
Many grace the shores of Barbados only when it is Gospelfest. During the month of May, one can feel full and inspired by gospel music, in a variety of indoor and outdoor venues on the island. Gospelfest features local and international artists.
The month of May also includes the Celtic Festival and the International Folk Festival.
The golf greens will attract the Tiger Woods guys, between February and June, to all four golf competitions, which will take place on well-equipped international courses.
Vacation in Barbados only when you’re ready for the biggest cultural event of the year, the Crop Over Festival, with heritage fairs and local outdoor music shows during May. Then from June to July, things get more hectic with calypso shows and contests. The climax of Crop Over is the Grand Kadooment, an all-day parade, on the first Monday in August, of thousands of spectacularly costumed revelers, dancing to the festival’s most popular calypso songs.
Visit Barbados only when between the months of April and July, the weather is warmer than the previous months; drier and sometimes breezy, and rains are unlikely to spoil outdoor activities.
