St. Maarten to participate in CARIFESTA XV in Barbados

GREAT BAY--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport (ECYS) Melissa Gumbs has officially announced that St. Maarten will participate in CARIFESTA XV, the Caribbean’s premier arts and cultural festival, set to take place in Barbados from August 22 to 31, 2025.

“In terms of culture, we are on the way with plans for CARIFESTA where St. Maarten will be represented as it all unfolds in Barbados,” Minister Gumbs stated. “I will keep the public posted and of course, you can follow the journey to that as well. We'll be representing St. Martin fashion, culture, film, art, and spoken word. So I am looking forward to that.”

CARIFESTA XV presents a powerful opportunity for St. Maarten to showcase its unique and evolving cultural identity on a regional stage. Minister Gumbs emphasized the importance of the island’s involvement not just as a participant, but as a contributor to the shared Caribbean cultural space.

CARIFESTA XV will be held in tandem with Crop Over, We Gatherin’ 2025, and Barbados’ Season of Emancipation, creating a month-long cultural celebration across the island. The festival will bring together artists, performers, writers, filmmakers, culinary experts, and cultural professionals from across the Caribbean to showcase their talents, exchange ideas, and foster regional integration.

Festival Director and CEO of Barbados’ National Cultural Foundation, Carol Roberts, stated, “We are looking forward to vibrant and meaningful discussions towards our collective goal and that collective goal is to make this, the 15th edition of CARIFESTA, the best that we can. CARIFESTA is the truest expression of our collective creativity, heritage, and culture… it is sacred, and it is world-class.”

Echoing that sentiment, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley issued a passionate invitation to the region:

“I’m inviting you, God willing, to create, to participate and simply to come. I speak to each and every one of us as Caribbean people, not just as members of CARICOM, but every one of the Caribbean people that can hear my voice, come,” stated the Chair.

“Celebrate all that is good and is possible for our Caribbean civilisation, as we do what we do best in the expression of our Festival of Arts – CARIFESTA. As we would say in Barbados, ‘miss this and blame yourself.’ Food and fashion, music and dance, art, craft, sculpture and good old Caribbean talk from philosophy to attitudes, from religion to development… Let us use this as an opportunity to build resilience in our region spiritually and psychologically. Let us gather and feed our souls and nurture our spirit as Caribbean people.”

CARIFESTA serves as a crucial platform for the promotion of creative industries, the commercialization of artistic products and services, and the strengthening of Caribbean cultural identity on a global level. For St. Maarten, participation in CARIFESTA XV is part of a larger cultural strategy to develop the island’s artistic sectors and provide its creatives with international exposure.

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