CARIFESTA XV set to launch in Barbados on August 22 with 10 days of regional arts and culture

Barbados: The 15th edition of the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA XV) will kick off in Barbados August 22 and will run through till August 31, welcoming delegations and guests from across the region and beyond for 10 days of cultural celebration. CARIFESTA XV will take place at different venues in Barbados under the theme “Rhythm”. Also, there will be displays of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature and other creative fields from right across the Caribbean.

While the majority of festival activities will be free and open to the public, organizers have confirmed a series of ticketed events which will feature some of the highlights of the event. These include large-scale concerts, theatre productions, dance displays, and special music events.

Among the highlights are  the “Super Concerts” series, which will feature top regional and international acts at the stage in genres of reggae, soca, kaiso, Caribbean jazz, and worldbeat. For the theater goers, productions of Mansa Musa, Dear Kaffy, and Ten to One will be organized, while dance lovers can enjoy performances from the Alvin Ailey II company and a youth showcase titled “Tech Steps/Future In Motion”.

Other paid events include the nostalgic Back in Time Fete, which pays homage to the Caribbean musical past, and collaborative performances like Dance Night featuring the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica. 

Notably, tickets are available at box offices around the island which include A & B Music Supplies (Wildey), CS Pharmacy (Broad Street), Day & Night Boutique (Welches, St Thomas), Eddies (Speightstown), Fitterz (JB Simpson Complex Six Roads, St Phillip), Forever Blessed Boutique (Tudor Street), iShop (Sheraton Mall), mPowered (Sky Mall), National Cultural Foundation, Oasis Tech Cube (Massy Sunset Crest & Massy, Worthing), Rubis (Wildey), and SOL (Warrens). In addition, the ticket can also be purchased online at ticketlinkz.com. 

Ticket Prices

Theatre Arts

• August 24, Ten to One (Matinee) (Frank Collymore Hall: 1pm - 3pm) – $30
• August 24, Ten to One (Frank Collymore Hall: 7pm - 9pm) – $50
• August 26, Man Overboard and Millie Gone to Brazil (Combermere School: 6pm - 8pm) – $30
• August 28, Mansa Musa (Student Matinee) (National Performing Arts Centre: 1pm - 4pm) – $25
• August 28, Mansa Musa (National Performing Arts Centre: 8pm - 11pm) – $100
• August 29, Dear Kaffy (Matinee) (Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre: 1pm - 3pm) – $30
• August 29, Dear Kaffy (Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre: 6pm - 8pm) – $40
• August 30, Tribute to Burgie (National Performing Arts Centre: 7pm - 9pm) – $50

 Music

• August 22, Super Concert – Caribbean to the World (Richard Stoute Amphitheatre: 8pm) – $100
• August 23, Back in Time Fete (Ilaro Court: 9pm - 1am) – $50
• August 26, Super Concert – Caribbean Jazz & Worldbeat (Richard Stoute Amphitheatre: 8pm - 12 midnight) – $50
• August 27, Jackie Opel Day: Spouge & Folk Concert (Richard Stoute Amphitheatre: 8pm - 12 midnight) - $50
• August 29, Super Concert – Reggae (Richard Stoute Amphitheatre: 8pm - 12 midnight) – $50
• August 30, Super Concert – Kaiso Night (Richard Stoute Amphitheatre: 8pm - 12 midnight) – $50

Comedy

• August 28, Comedy Show Cat Luck Ain Dog Luck (LESC: 8pm - 10pm) – $50

Dance

• August 23, Alvin Ailey II Show (Frank Collymore Hall: 4pm - 6pm) – $100
• August 23, Alvin Ailey II Show (Frank Collymore Hall: 8pm - 10pm) – $100
• August 26, Dance Night featuring National Dance Theatre Company, Jamaica & more (National Performing Arts Centre: 7pm - 9pm) – $100
• August 28, Dance Night ft El Cuadro A United Caribbean Dance Force & more (Frank Collymore Hall: 7pm - 9pm) – $100
• August 29, Tech Steps/Future in Motion (Youth Showcase) (Frank Collymore Hall: 5pm - 9pm) – $50