Entertainment

Barbados Food & Rum Festival Launched Globally

The atmosphere could be described as electrifying at the official global launch of the 2023 Barbados Food and Rum Festival in London.

From July 15th – 16th, the flavours of Barbados were showcased at the National Geographic Traveller Food Festival by a team of award-winning local chefs and mixologists. The team highlighted the best of Barbadian cuisine to give people a sample of what they can expect at the 2023 Barbados Food and Rum Festival being held from October 19th – 22nd.

Showcasing the Best of Barbadian Cuisine

Over the weekend, thousands of food and rum enthusiasts flocked to the Barbados booth to get a taste of Chef Seth Hasin-Bromley’s delectable cuisine and mixologists Philip Antoine and Alexander Chandler’s aromatic rum cocktails.

The crowd was not only capitated by their delicious delicacies and rum mixes but also by the vibrant energy they brought to London.

Celebrating Culinary Destinations

The National Geographic Traveller Food Festival offers a unique range of dining, drinking and learning experiences from across the globe. It also brought together famous chefs, authors and experts to celebrate food and travel at London’s Business Design Centre.

This was the second year Barbados participated in the Festival and established an even bigger presence this time around.

Director of the UK office for the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI), Cheryl Carter, stated “This culinary platform is an excellent way for us to promote the Barbados Food and Rum Festival and it also helps us to reinforce the message of Barbados being the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean.”

UK represents the largest percentage of visitors to Barbados, so it was only fitting that the global launch of the Food and Rum Festival was held in the market at such a prestigious event.

**Director of UK at BTMI Cheryl Carter (left), with UK MasterChef Shelina Permalloo. (BTMI)**

International Chef Participation

At the global launch, UK Master Chef Shelina Permalloo was officially introduced as one of the three international chefs being featured in this year’s Festival. Chef Permalloo is British Mauritian and the 2012 BBC’s MasterChef Champion.

Excited to be a part of the festival, she said “I can’t wait to showcase some of my Mauritian food with some Bajan flavours. I went to Barbados when I was 19 and it is the only place I want to return to. The people are amazing, the food is incredible, and I just can’t wait to go back.”

Chef Permalloo will be hosting one of the Chef Classics at All Seasons Resort Europa on Friday, October 20th and a dinner at one of the island’s fine-dining restaurants on Saturday, October 21st.

Exciting Contests

Patrons who visited the Barbados booth during the two-day event and purchased any Food and Rum ticket got a chance to win a flight for two to Barbados in October. Additionally, a contest was held in partnership with the Crane Resort Barbados, which garnered approximately 1,498 sign ups.

The Barbados Food and Rum Festival will be held from October 19th – 22nd with eight signature events. Tickets for the festival are on sale now via foodandrum.com. (PR/GIS)

Entertainment

National Disability Unit’s First Movie Night Is March 8

As part of activities to celebrate the Month of the Disabled 2025, the National Disabilities Unit (NDU) will host its first Movie Night for the year, this Saturday, March 8, at its grounds at ‘Maxwelton’, Lower Collymore Rock, St. Michael.

Two movies, “Jungle Cruise” and “Inside Out 2”, will be featured under the stars, with the first expected to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Admission is free and persons are encouraged to bring their chairs and blankets. The movie night will end at 9:00 p.m.

One Community: United in Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future is the theme for the month. The aim is to encourage communities to actively include people with disabilities in all aspects of life and to actively ensure that they are fully integrated and considered in all aspects of building a sustainable society.

Entertainment

B’DOS INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BEGINS JANUARY 29TH

The 9th Barbados Independent Film Festival (BIFF) promises an unforgettable experience, showcasing 60 films from 20 countries over five days. Festival Director De Carla Applewhaite announced the theme, “Global Cinema,” during Monday’s media launch, highlighting the festival’s growth and its dedication to promoting Barbadian and international talent.

Applewhaite said, “”The Barbados Independent Film Festival this year has received over 350 entries. Ten from Barbados, 11 from Turkey, one from Estonia, ten from Canada, four from Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, Suriname, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, France, Russian Federation, Islamic Republic of Iran, Palestine, Hong Kong, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Bermuda and Curacao [have entered]. This year’s theme has defined itself as ‘Global Cinema’ as we feature work from literally around the world.”

She noted that this year’s festival was the largest yet since its inception, with 60 films scheduled to be shown over the course of five days from January 29th till February 2nd.
The festival will open on January 29 with a red carpet event at the Barbados Museum and wrap up on February 2 with the short-film showcase, Shorts On The Beach, at Southern Palms Hotel.
The festival will also spotlight The Roads We Travel, a short film by Barbados-born filmmaker Mary Cecilia Walker