#BTEditorial – A great Holetown Festival; let’s patronise Agrofest

Organisers have reported a successful Holetown Festival albeit with reduced events this year.

In 2020, the Holetown Festival was the only national event that got off the ground, largely because of the time of the year it is staged. Weeks after the festival that year, the country recorded its first COVID-19 case and all other national festivals were cancelled for 2020 and 2021 as well.

In 2020, the coveted Miss Holetown Queen of the Festival pageant was removed with the intention of it being staged in September 2020 as part of the St James We Gatherin’ activities. Sadly, those anticipating its return were disappointed again this year.

The event, which usually sees a packed audience in the hall of Frederick Smith Secondary School, was a staple of the festival for many years and we hope it makes a comeback soon.

We welcome the return of the Holetown Festival as we appreciate what it means to folks living in the west and north of the island. We are also acutely aware of what it means to the vendors who ply their trade, the entertainers who get work, and the tourists who get a taste of an authentic Bajan experience.

Media outlets reported a slow start to the festival which ran from last Thursday to Sunday. However, by Friday, the tide changed with the staging of the Grand Floodlit Tattoo, which is normally a huge hit with the crowd.

From around 5 p.m. on Friday, traffic on Highway One was moving at a snail’s pace. This compounded the flow of traffic on the Ronald Mapp Highway as well. Vendors set up their spots while patrons made their way to the Trent’s Playing Field to secure a spot for the spectacle.

Reports indicate that the Barbados Police Service delivered yet again. Crowds took up every vantage point to take in the festivities. The cultural show featured the St James-based Haynesville Youth Club, Blackman & Gollop Primary School, Sisters in Harmony, Dancin’ Africa, Sunshine Dancers and some well-known vocalists.

On Saturday, the Vintage Car Show, the parade, Celebrity Mixologist Competition and the Soca Rumble all attracted huge crowds. The parade that day saw the inclusion of roller skating, a recently growing activity in Barbados. The group, Good Skate Cruisers, had about 50 people on rollerblades. Participants were as young as age four and as mature as 60 years old.

The skaters added a different flair to the parade that is usually dominated by Mother Sally, Shaggy Bear, stilt walkers and the green monkey.

Most heartening was the response of a local vendor when questioned by the media: “I like the interaction with the people. Today is very busy and I am getting a lot of attention…. I’m getting a good response so I plan to be back next year.”

A tourist had this to say: “Everything is beautiful. It’s been really cool and colourful. The people have been amazing. We heard about this place so we wanted to come down here and check it out.”

Another said: “The truth is, Holetown Festival is pretty much all that is left of old Barbados here in Holetown.” 

The successful staging of the Holetown Festival sets the tone for what lies ahead in 2023.

Agrofest will be staged this weekend with the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) expecting a massive turnout. By the weekend of Easter, the Oistins Fish Festival will be staged. That festival brings the same sense of pride and ownership from the people of the south as Holetown does from the people in the west.

Later down in April, the Barbados Reggae Festival will be making a grand return. The last edition was staged in 2019 and the 2023 show is eagerly anticipated by reggae lovers.

Come May, we should be hearing new music for the 2023 Crop Over festival with limes and fetes starting around June.

And if the recently-concluded Trinidad Carnival gives any indication of the prospects for Crop Over, we are certainly in for a great year. Bajans who journeyed to Trinidad last week, many of whom went on the Epic Carnival cruise – which allowed passengers to attend parties and return to the ship for accommodation – are excited to see what is in store for Crop Over.

Holetown has certainly started the festival ball rolling in a positive way. We hope that creatives, vendors, entertainers and the like continue to benefit from these activities. They need it and the economy needs it as well.

We urge you to go out this weekend and be a part of Agrofest. Support local farmers and vendors. Go out and patronise these events as we rebuild our cultural sector one festival at a time.