The Crop Over Experience

Are you prepared for the best partying in your life? If so you have chosen the right place, if not don’t worry I’ve got some tips for you here to get ready. Get ready to emerge yourself in the soca community. The parties literally don’t stop until the wee hours of the morning. Try The Foreday Morning Jam which is a run/street paint/mud dance festival. I highly recommend researching events before your trip to purchase presale where necessary. I highly suggest attending the party hosted by Elevate, check out there Facebook page to find the link. There will be a multitude of parties you will hear about once you’re out and about so don’t fret if you don’t find one for every night before you get there, just catch the vibes once you’re on the island and follow your crowd. For the Grand Kadooment parade are you jumping, or nah? If you choose to jump, which means you want to be a part of a band that is marching in the parade you will need to start preparation way in advance. The costumes are a big part of the celebration so arrangements will need to be made to create yours. Some bands will have themes so if you plan to participate start early, it’ll take some research to find a band you can join and how you can have a costume made. Don’t care to jump? No problem, I didn’t. You can enjoy the parade from the side like my crew did. It’s easy, less demanding, more convenient for scheduling and just as fun! My friends still made their own costumes, which you’ll need to research what’s allowed through customs because some feathers aren’t allowed, and we stood on the parade route and danced along the side as the bands came through. We even got a chance to see Rihanna and her band come through on their float.

Experience the island

There are so many not so hidden treasures on the island to take part in. Make sure you carve out time to indulge in activities that educate you on the island’s history to teach you more of what it’s about. There’s a tour offered that takes you to the Harrison Caves, a unique cave in the center of the island that you can take a boat ride through and by lantern see the waterfalls and the majestic stalactites and stalagmites. The tour continues to pass by a couple other historic spots, great for photo ops as well, before ending at St. Nicholas Abbey which is a plantation house, museum, and rum distillery where you’ll get a pour of the house rum. Hop on a boat and take a cruise. We booked a cruise with El Tigre cruises and had a great tome going to view sea turtles and the shipwreck. The cruise included snacks and all the rum punch we could drink, I recommend the rum punch for the trip back after snorkeling. Drink responsibly. Our captain and guides were great and really coached us on how to make the best of our snorkeling and helped the members of the group who weren’t comfortable in the water. And of course you’ll want to enjoy a relaxing day at the beach. Pirates Cove has options for renting chairs, umbrellas, and jet skis if you’re feeling froggy. When you want to shop local stop by the Bridgetown Market for souvenirs and more. It’s a street style market with food and other goods sold by local vendors.

Taste the Island

One of my favorite parts of every trip is eating and Caribbean cuisine did not disappoint. If you’re in Bridgetown on a Friday make your way to Oistin’s for their fish fry. It’s a family party to start your weekend. Make your way to the Gap in St. Lawrence and visit my friends at “My Friends Place”. They have the best rum punch I had in Barbados and the food is great as well. And if you’re not in the mood to sit down and want to try street food find the Gap Burger cart to get a taste of a local favorite. Perfect meal for after you’ve danced the night away in a local club in the Gap. And if you’re itching to get fancy one night visit The Cliff, one of the more popular and known establishments in Bridgetown.

Take a trip to Beautiful Barbados to experience the Caribbean culture in its ripeness and rare form. A good time is to be had anytime you visit. For more information on what to do when you visit connect with us @WorldCitizensTravel . And be sure to check out the Beautiful Barbados post for a day by day breakdown and more pictures.