Holidays and events, sports
Public holidays
There are a number of public holidays that do not have a fixed date, but are based on the time of Easter. Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the beginning of spring. Lent, which lasts for 46 days, begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Pentecost is 50 days after Easter. Corpus Christi is celebrated on the second Thursday after Pentecost. All Saints’ Day is celebrated for Orthodox Christians on the first Sunday after Pentecost, but for Catholic Christians the date is fixed on November 1st. On October 31, Protestants celebrate Reformation Day. The Halloween festival also takes place on this day.
Date | Holiday |
January 1 | New Year |
21th January | Errol Barrow Day |
April 28 | Day of Folk Heroes |
1st of May | May Day |
August 7 | Kadooment day |
30th of November | Independence day |
25 December | Christmas |
Source: Countryaah – Barbados Holidays
The “Bajans”, as the people of Barbados call themselves, have selectively adopted some British customs.
Sports
The West Indies still play an important role as a cricket nation today. The sporting association includes the states of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, the Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago and the Windward Islands. Cricket tournaments are a national event. Barbados is highly recommended for divers and snorkelers. Surfers and sailors can also get their money’s worth here.
Barbados: climate
Travel times
Barbados is characterized by a pleasantly mild, tropical climate. July to November is the rainy season, but the rain showers usually only last a few minutes. The average maximum daily temperatures are between 28 and 32 °C all year round and are therefore quite balanced. Even at night the temperature hardly ever drops below 21 °C. Constantly blowing trade winds provide a welcome cooling. Hurricanes can occur between June and November. Usually they are only weak and do not occur very often.
Climate table
The following table shows some climate data for Barbados. It should be noted that the climatic conditions in different regions of the country can differ from each other and thus also from the values shown. In addition, the monthly average values of the temperature have little informative value with regard to the minimum or maximum temperatures. It is possible that at average temperatures of around 20 °C maximum values of 30 °C or more occur. The table therefore only provides a general overview of the climatic conditions in.
Month | Average number of rainy days | Mean maximum temperatures in (°C) | Mean minimum temperatures in (°C) |
January | 12-13 | 28-29 | 20-21 |
February | 07-09 | 28-29 | 20-21 |
March | 07-09 | 28-29 | 20-21 |
April | 06-07 | 29-30 | 20-22 |
May | 08-10 | 30-31 | 22-23 |
June | 11-12 | 31-32 | 23-24 |
July | 13-14 | 31-32 | 23-24 |
August | 13-14 | 31-32 | 23-24 |
September | 13-14 | 31-32 | 23-24 |
October | 13-14 | 31-32 | 22-23 |
November | 14-15 | 30-31 | 21-22 |
December | 12-14 | 28-29 | 21-22 |
Barbados: Sightseeing
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Presents the way that BB stands for the nation of Barbados as a two-letter acronym.
Bridgetown
The capital of Barbados is Bridgetown. It is located in Saint Michael, whose name goes back to the church of St. Michael and all Angels, built in 1641, which has been the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Barbados since 1825. The city offers numerous good examples of British colonial architecture. These include in particular the aforementioned St. Michal’s Cathedral, the Barbados Mutual Building or Harrison College and St. Anne’s Garrison. The city also includes the Deep Water Harbor (also Port of Bridgetown). It’s on Carlisle Bay and handles most of the trade with the rest of the world. The sugar produced in Barbados is also sent on its journey at Deep Water Harbor. The port also acts as an entry gate to Barbados for the cruise ships of the South Caribbean.
St. Ann’s Garrison/Garrison Historic Area
This small district on Barbados, located between Bridgetown and Hastings, was the settlement area and headquarters for members of the British West Indies Regiment, which was stationed in Barbados between the 1700s and the 1800s, during British colonial rule. The district is found about two kilometers east of Bridgetown. You can see numerous buildings such as the barracks for the military and the large parade ground, which has been called the Garrison Savannah. It is interesting that the Garrison Historic Area is supposed to be the exact place where the house stood in which George Washington lived for six weeks when he visited his sick brother in Barbados. It’s just called the George Washington House. Other places of interest in the district are Saint Ann’s Fort, where the Barbados Defense Forces are now based.
By the way:
On November 30, 1966, the British Union Jack was taken from the mast in the Garrison Historic Area and replaced by the flag of Barbados. The country had thus formally obtained its independence.
Special structures
George Washington House, between Bridgetown and Hastings,
see St. Ann’s Garrison
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
The Kensington Oval, which is now around 120 years old, is one of the most important stadiums in Barbados. It is located to the west of the capital, Bridgetown, and is mostly used for cricket games. Popularly known as The Mecca (of cricket), the sports stadium has hosted countless large cricket games since it was founded.
Morgan Lewis Windmill, St. Andrew
The old 1756 sugar cane mill near Farley Hill Park is the largest windmill in Barbados and is called “A mill with a view!” titled. It’s in St. Andrew.
Nelson Monument, Bridgetown
The Nelson Monument rises in the middle of Bridgetown’s National Heroes Square. It was inaugurated in 1813, making it almost 30 years older than the Nelson Column in London.
Parliament Buidlings, Bridgetown
The former public buildings are in Bridgetown’s National Heroes Square. The imposing structure serves as the seat of the two parliament chambers of Barbados.
Sam Lord’s Castle, St. Philip
The Sam Lord’s Castle in St. Philip was designed in 1820 by the builder Samuel Hall Lord, a legendary pirate at the time. His beautiful country house is now used as a hotel and stands on 29 hectares of land that includes gardens, swimming pools, fountains and private beaches.
Saint Ann’s Fort, between Bridgetown and Hastings,
see St. Ann’s Garrison
St. Nicholas Abbeym, St. Peter
This is the house of the plantation barons from the golden age of sugar plantations, which was built around 1650. The house was named “Abbey” by an owner in the 19th century and is surrounded by 81 hectares of sugar cane fields.
Sunbury Plantation House and Museum, St. Philip
The Sunbury Plantation House and Museum dates back to 1660. It is located in St. Philip and is a former plantation owner’s home.
Streets and squares
Broad Street, Bridgetown
Broad Street is the most important shopping street in the Barbadian capital Bridgetown. It starts in Heroes Square and is lined with banks, shops and department stores.
National Heroes Square, Bridgetown The National Heroes Square,
formerly known as Trafalgar Square, extends right at the mouth of the Constitution River (called Careenage). This is the central square in Bridgetown, with the Nelson monument in its center. Significant buildings such as the Barbadian parliament are grouped around the square.
Museums
Barbados Museum, Bridgetown
Housed in a former military prison, this museum in Bridgetown tells the story of the island.
Nidḥe Israel Museum, Bridgetown
This museum belongs to the Nidḥe Israel Synagogue of Bridgetown (see below), one of the oldest synagogues in the Western Hemisphere.
Churches and sacred institutions
Bridgetown Cemetery
Bridgetown Cemetery is the Jewish community’s cemetery with graves dating back to 1630.
Nidḥe Israel Synagogue, Bridgetown
Also known as the Synagogue of the Scattered of Israel, the Jewish place of worship is currently the only one in the Barbadian capital Bridgetown. It is also said to be one of the oldest synagogues in the western hemisphere. The synagogue has been a Barbadian national site for several years. Incidentally, it was built in 1654, but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1831. After its reconstruction, it was sold in 1929 and reopened. In 2008, while the American architect Michael Stoner was busy releasing parts of a former rabbi house under the synagogue, he discovered a Jewish ritual bath from the 17th century.
The synagogue also includes the Nidhe Israel Museum, which opened in 2008 (see above).
St. Michael´s Cathedral
The former church of St. Michael and all Angels was built in 1641. It has been the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Barbados since 1825 and has been called St. Michael’s Cathedral ever since. It is one of the finest examples of British colonial architecture in Barbados.
Important universities
University of the West Indies
Barbados is one of the sponsors of the University of the West Indies. This university is a network of several universities, with different institutes spread across the West Indies. There are three main institutions in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
Participating states at the University of the West Indies are:
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- British Young Remote Islands
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Jamaica
- Cayman Islands
- Montserrat
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos Islands
Another well-known university in Barbados is the University of Bedfordshire.
Natural beauties
The west coast is on the Caribbean side of the island. There are more hotels here than on the east coast, but the beaches retain their charm and attractiveness.
The following beaches are well worth a visit:
- Batt Rock
- Paynes Bay and Folkestone Park in St. James
- Gibbs Beach and Mullins Bay in St. Peter
- Carlisle Bay near Bridgetown
The east coast of Barbados lies on the Atlantic Ocean and is less developed for tourism. The beaches have a rougher charm and are partly crossed by bizarre rock formations, but are definitely worth a visit.
They include the following beaches:
- Crane Beach around Sam Lord’s Castle
- Culpepper Island off St. Philip
- Bathsheba Soup Bowl.
The south coast offers a special mix of Caribbean and Atlantic beaches:
- Silver Sands Beach
- Dover, Rockley and Needhams Point, near Bridgetown.
Deep Water Harbor in Bridgetown
Bridgetown also includes Deep Water Harbor (also called Port of Bridgetown), which was established in 1961. It is located on Carlisle Bay and handles most of the trade with the rest of the world, which corresponds to around 900,000 tons per year. The sugar produced in Barbados is also sent on its journey at Deep Water Harbor. The port also acts as an entry gate to Barbados for (many British) cruise ships that travel the southern Caribbean.