Celtic meets the Caribbean: Canadian dancers join Barbados festival
Island’s celtic ties are celebrated in this festival of dance, music, food and more
TORONTO, ON (May 7, 2012) – Nova Scotian youth dance troupe “Celtic Fusion” will be bringing their kilts and kicks to the beautiful island of Barbados for the annual Celtic Festival Barbados. Taking place from June 7th-14th, the troupe hailing from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia will participate in the festival celebrating the country’s ties to Ireland, Wales and Scotland through music, dancing, food and sport.
Bagpipers will kick off the celebrations at sundown on June 7th and take over the South Coast Boardwalk in Bridgetown. The festival gets rocking at the Plantation Theatre on June 8th with Scottish folk group, the Peatbog Faeries, and Irish songstress Sarah Macbeth and her band.
Alongside the sights and sounds of mixing these two cultures, a fusion of flavours is on the menu. On June 9th, award-winning Scottish chef Paul Wedgewood will be serving up tasty Celtic delights at Relish Epicura, in the newly opened Limegrove Lifestyle Centre. Of course, no Barbados celebration is complete without sampling some rum! Get a true taste of the island with a rum shop tour following the food demonstration.
The Celtic Festival Barbados celebrates the longstanding ties between the Celtic countries of Scotland, Ireland and Wales and the sunny island paradise of Barbados. Over four hundred years ago, criminals from these countries came to the island as indentured servants, and their descendants still live in the “Scottish” district of St. Andrew’s Parish.
The celebrations continue throughout the week with a five-hour lunch cruise aboard the luxurious catamaran Cool Runnings and a chance to swimming with turtles. Back on land, experience the historical “Scotland” district and sugar plantations by taking a Jeep Safari ride around the island, or tour the island’s botanical beauties in the award-winning Flower Forest.
Come and stay in paradise and enjoy the entertainment, sight-seeing and cuisine of both Celtic and Barbadian cultures.
Getting there:
Air Canada currently provides daily direct service to Barbados with nine flights weekly from Toronto and twice-weekly flights from Montreal. For further information and flight promotions, visit www.aircanada.com.
Getting to Barbados has never been easier. WestJet makes it both easy and affordable to get to Barbados, offering non-stop flights from Toronto five times a week. Ticket information is available at www.westjet.com.
Transat Holidays introduced direct service from Toronto on December 25, 2011 with a weekly flight to Bridgetown for the winter season. Details and booking information is available at www.transatholidays.com.
About Barbados
The island of Barbados offers the most authentic Caribbean experience with its exceptionally rich culture and history rooted in remarkable landscapes, including The Crane Beach, St. Philip, voted on of the world’s sexiest beaches for 2008 by Concierge.com. Regarded by many as the culinary capital of the Caribbean, Barbados is home to numerous internationally renowned chefs who masterfully put signature spins on local delicacies and traditions. Barbados is also an ideal stage for world-class events and has hosted numerous athletic championships, including the ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2007 and the 2006 PGA World Golf Championship-The Barbados World Cup. Accommodations range from picturesque plantation house and villas to quaint bed and breakfasts to award-winning five-star resorts. The newly renovated Grantley Adams International Airport offers non-stop and direct service from Toronto daily on Air Canada, 9 times weekly in the winter and 2 flights weekly out of Montreal. WestJet commenced service November 2, 2009 with 5 flights weekly via Toronto. New this winter, Transat Holiday will service Barbados with a weekly direct flight from Toronto. Barbados was voted #8 in the World by Trip Advisor’s ‘2008 Travelers Choice Destination Awards’ in its Top 100 Destinations category. Follow the Barbados beat and catch up on the latest news via the Barbados Facebook page at www.tinyurl.com/VisitBarbados and Twitter at www.twitter.com/Barbados. For more information on travel to Barbados, visit www.visitbarbados.org or Call 1-800-268-9122.