Barbados prepares to welcome the world to CARIFESTA XV
From August 22 to 31, 2025, the island will host the Caribbean's premier cultural celebration, with ten days of music, art, fashion, film, and gastronomy. Barbados becomes an epicenter of regional creativity and reaffirms its leadership as a cultural destination
Following the close of the traditional Crop Over festival, Barbados is transformed to host CARIFESTA XV, the fifteenth edition of the Caribbean Festival of Arts, taking place from August 22-31, 2025. Considered the region’s premier cultural event, CARIFESTA brings together artists, innovators, and thinkers from across the Caribbean and its diaspora to celebrate shared identity through art, dialogue, and connection.
This year, the event is being held under the theme "Caribbean Roots. Global Excellence," and will feature a vibrant program that includes:
Four Super Concerts with regional and international artists
CARIFESTA Film Festival and outdoor screenings
Fashion shows and exhibitions of Caribbean haute couture
The largest Grand Market & Trade Hub in the festival's history
A Youth Village with intergenerational creative programming
The “Big Conversations” symposia on identity, climate, and innovation
Culinary samples representing flavors from across the region
Sustainability activations with an ecological and future-oriented vision
Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) CEO Andrea Franklin highlighted:
"Barbados will be the meeting point for the best of the Caribbean. It's an extraordinary moment to honor our uniqueness and celebrate the ties that unite us as a region."
Barbados holds a prominent place in the festival's history, as this is the third time it has been hosted, following CARIFESTA IV in 1981 and CARIFESTA XIII in 2017. Each edition marked a milestone in the country's national evolution: from post-independence growth, through the digital age, to its present as a Parliamentary Republic. This new edition reaffirms Barbados not only as a tourist destination, but also as a cultural and visionary leader in the region, committed to unity, sustainability, and Caribbean excellence.
With more than 25 participating countries and delegations from places like Ghana, Cuba, Brazil, and Colombia, the island is preparing to offer an immersive experience, with infrastructure already in place to welcome thousands of visitors.
CARIFESTA XV promises to be an unforgettable gathering that celebrates the cultural richness of the Caribbean at its finest.
Source: www.visitbarbados.org/carifesta / www.carifesta.net