Crop Over Festival

National Carnival · July–August

Rating: 5 / 5

Crop Over is Barbados' national festival and the island's cultural crown jewel, tracing its roots back to the 18th-century celebrations that marked the end of the sugar cane harvest. Revived as a national festival in 1974, today's Crop Over runs from late June into early August and packs in calypso and soca competitions, Pic-O-De-Crop, Party Monarch, Cohobblopot, Foreday Morning and countless fêtes before climaxing with Grand Kadooment on the first Monday in August. Organised by the National Cultural Foundation, it is the heartbeat of Bajan summer.

Contact Information

Address: Island-wide, Barbados

Hours: July-August

The history

Crop Over dates back to the 1780s, when it celebrated the end of the sugar cane harvest. It was suspended in the 1940s and revived in 1974. Today it runs from late May through the first Monday of August (Kadooment Day), making it one of the largest cultural festivals in the Caribbean.

Grand Kadooment

The festival culminates in Grand Kadooment on the first Monday of August — a parade of costumed bands dancing through the streets of Bridgetown to the National Stadium. Kadooment Day is a public holiday in Barbados.

Other key events

Bridgetown Market (Spring Garden), Soca Royale (top-soca competition), Pic-O-De-Crop (calypso monarch), Foreday Morning Jam (paint and powder parade), and dozens of fetes through July.

About events in Barbados

Crop Over is the crown jewel of Barbados events — a six-week carnival culminating in the Grand Kadooment parade every August. Throughout the year, the island hosts the Food & Rum Festival, Holders Season performing arts, the Sandy Lane Gold Cup horse racing, Gospel Fest, and dozens of smaller festivals. Something is happening every month in Barbados.

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