Crop Over, one of the most famous festivals in Barbados, dates back to the 18th century, when the island was the world's largest sugar producer. Plantation workers would celebrate the season's final sugarcane harvest with days of music and revelry. Crop Over is now celebrated with a sun-soaked (and rum-soaked) party extravaganza that takes place from the beginning of July to the beginning of August.

The Opening Gala and Ceremonial Delivery of the Last Canes, where the carnival king and queen are crowned, are the primary events (these would have been the most productive workers of the season). The last weekend ends in Grand Kadooment, which combines live bands and dancers in elaborate costumes parading through Bridgetown's streets before partying together at the beach. Crop Over is known for its calypso music, and 'calypsonians' (calypso musicians) fight for titles such as Party Monarch, Sweet Soca Monarch, and Pic-O-De-Crop.

The Kiddies Kadooment costume parade, the energetic Cohobblopot stage play, and the Fore-Day Morning Jump-Up, where revelers cover themselves in mud and paint before partying into the early hours of the morning, are all highlights.

Date: August

The Barbados Reggae Festival, a week-long music festival that displays many forms of reggae in various venues across the island, is another large-scale event.

The agenda normally includes the Reggae Beach Party in Bridgetown, the Reggae Beach Party at Pirate's Cove, the Vintage Reggae Show at the Kensington Oval with iconic reggae singers, and the Reggae Party Cruise on board a luxury yacht, which all begin in April.

Barbados' Reggae Festival began in 2005 and has grown to become one of the most important and well-known Reggae festivals in the world. The festival's program has improved with time, and it currently includes quality and well-known artists, both locals and visitors. The festival's activities take place in a variety of locations. It draws a sizable throng of reggae fans.

Date: April

Over the Columbus Day weekend, hundreds of music fans go to Barbados Jazz Excursion to enjoy concerts, excursions, and golf.

The schedule includes world-class jazz musicians performing concerts, as well as outstanding cultural and sporting events such as island tours, submarine adventures, party cruises, and rum tours. Golfers will tee off on the beautiful greens of the prestigious Apes Hill Club on the final day.

The Barbados Jazz Excursion was treated to the biggest and finest lineup of contemporary jazz and R&B musicians ever assembled at the festival, as well as a shortened timetable that enabled more time to explore the Caribbean island's seductive tropical beauty. This is one of the most famous festivals in Barbados.

Date: October

The Barbados Food & Rum Festival, held in mid-October, is the most well-known event in terms of food. International professionals join local chefs and mixologists to celebrate the best of Bajan cuisine and rum.

The week-long food festival includes cook-offs, food and rum pairings, mixology demos, and 5-star meals served in top restaurants across numerous venues. The festival concludes with a beach party on Barbados' west coast and gourmet dinner at Tides, one of the island's greatest restaurants.

The Barbados Food & Rum Festival has given rise to a range of events, or better yet, food and beverage experiences, aimed at tantalizing the taste buds while also stimulating the other senses. Experience a sophisticated, high-quality, upscale culinary art event with acclaimed worldwide and local chefs, wine experts, and mixologists.

Date: Mid-October

The Oistin's Fish Event is a Barbados folk festival that has been held every Easter since 1967 at Oistins. The festival's goal is to recognize the people who work in the fishing sector. Toni Thorne, chairman of the festival's organizing committee, chose to change the name in the 2020s, therefore expect it to change.

This vibrant festival, which takes place on the gorgeous south coast, is one of the highlights of the Bajan social calendar. The week-long celebration honors local fishermen with parades, steel-pan bands, greasy-pole climbing contests, and feasts of freshly fried fish, attracting hundreds of locals and visitors alike.

Boat races, gaming tables, a boisterous float parade, a tug of war tournament, and a fish cook-off are all part of the festivities.The festival takes place in Christ Church's ancient Oistins fishing town, in and around the site of the infamous weekly Oistin's Fish Fry.

Date: Easter Weekend

Through the island's newest season, The Barbados Sugar and Rum Season, immerse yourself in this captivating story and experience life in the birthplace of rum. Barbados' rich legacy has earned the island the nicknames "the brightest jewel in the British crown" and "the richest spot of land of all the European possessions in the Caribbean" in this thrilling, informative, and memorable season.

The Barbados Sugar and Rum Season is rich in creativity, history, and authenticity, with sugar and rum cooking classes, chocolate making classes, walking and bus tours, mixology shows, historic lectures, spa treatments, street and beach parties, an Open House Season, a big BBQ, as well as slave route, cane factory, windmill, and rum shop tours.

Through the advent of the Barbados Sugar and Rum Season, this rich tradition is given pride of place. This is an exciting, instructive, and hands-on season, rich in creativity, history, and authenticity.

Date: Mid-January to Mid-April

One of the most famous festivals in Barbados, Barbados Sailing Week, formerly known as the Mount Gay Barbados Series, takes place in January and attracts top-level competition from around the world. In addition to the three-day Coastal Series, there's the Ocean Passage race from Barbados to Antigua, as well as the headline Mount Gay Round Race, in which crews compete for their skipper's weight in rum.

On Barbados Sailing Week, the island takes on a party vibe, with throngs of locals and visitors going to the best viewing spots to watch the race develop along the rugged Atlantic coast.

This all-comers sprint around Barbados takes place every year on Errol Barrow Day, a public holiday commemorating the birth of Barbados' first Prime Minister and "father of independence." Given the significance of the day, the party atmosphere on the island is legendary, with throngs of locals and visitors gathering to the best viewing sites every year to watch the race unfold down the rugged Atlantic coast.

Date: January

Hundreds of swimmers from all over the world descend to Carlisle Bay in Bridgetown each year in early November for the Barbados Open Water Festival. The magnificent bay is a protected marine park located in the middle.

On Open Water Festival, swimmers of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate in five exciting days of swimming, beginning with three days of practice swims and ending with two days of races featuring 1.5K, 5K, and 10K swims.

The gorgeous Carlisle Bay serves as the Festival's centerpiece. The swimmers delight about the superb open water swimming conditions at the venue, Carlisle Bay Marine Park, which is protected. The Bay is undoubtedly picturesque, but it is also rich in history as a once bustling harbor frequented by George Washington and Lord Nelson, the legendary British Admiral. The Bay is currently conveniently located next to the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison."

Date: November

Run Barbados is a three-day road-running event that takes place on the first weekend in December every year and includes a 5k fun run, a half-marathon, and a marathon, as well as lively post-race festivities. This is one of the most famous festivals in Barbados.

The race will begin on the magnificent Bay Street Esplanade, which is located directly across from the historic Prime Minister's Office and overlooks Carlisle Bay. It then makes its way through Bridgetown's streets, passing under the Independence Arch and over the 1865 Chamberlain Bridge.

The run continues along the west coast, with breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea from a variety of vantage points. On Run Barbados, there will be refreshments as well as live music and performances. A fun run is also held in the St Lawrence Gap region, with the runners celebrating their accomplishments in the Gap's many taverns and nightclubs.

Date: December

Cricket is Barbados' national sport, and you can see a nice game at the Kensington Oval at virtually any time. In 2007, the stadium hosted the World Cup, and the Golden Oldies World Cricket Festival, a tournament for semi-professional and retired players, was held there last year.

The oval, which is located on the outskirts of Bridgetown, is a world-famous cricket venue that hosts regular test matches between January and April, featuring teams from the West Indies, England, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, and South Africa.

Barbados, as one of the world's cricket centers, always generates some major talent. It's a game that's played in cricket grounds, villages, and on the streets, so it's no surprise that so many Barbadians make the West Indies team. Barbados has produced a number of renowned athletes. Sir Garfield Sobers, Malcolm Marshall, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Everton Weekes, and Sir Clyde Walcott are just a few of Barbados' sporting legends.

Date: Any time