Barbados - Music and Performing Arts

The Bajans celebrate their Afro-Caribbean heritage through music; and calyspo, reggae, drum and soca music can be heard easily throughout the island. But arguably the most musical time of year is the annual Crop Over Festival, which includes many musical competitions and processionals. The festival dates back to the 1780s, when the island would come together to celebrate the end of the sugar can harvest. It is the island's most popular, colorful, and melodic festival. This and other festivals regularly feature 'tuk' bands, which consist of a kettle drum, bass drum, and tin flute, and evolved out of the slave culture.