Barbados Crop Over Festival

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Barbados Crop Over Festival is a summer festival of the Caribbean island of Barbados. The festival is the highlight of the summer, where the whole island gathers together in jubilation to celebrate the completion of the sugar cane harvest from mid-July to early August. Competition 'tents' ring with the fierce battle of calypsonians for the coveted Calypso Monarch Award and the air is redolent with the exotic smells of barbadian cooking during the Bridgetown Market Street Fair. Rich with the spirit of local culture, the Cohobblopot Festival blends dance and drama and music with the crowning of the Ling and Quenn of costume bands. Every evening the 'Pic-o-de-Crop' Show is performed when finally the King of Calypso is crowned. The climax of the festival is Kadooment Day celebrated with a national holiday when costume bands fill the streets with pulsating Barbadian rhythms and fireworks that ignite the sky.