‘Caribbean Roots…Global Excellence’: Barbados Welcomes CARIFESTA XV
by Karen Rollins May 19, 2025

Barbados is set to welcome culture enthusiasts from around the world to CARIFESTA XV – the Caribbean Festival of Arts – from 22-31 August 2025.
Described as a “must-see celebration of culture, creativity, and connection,” CARIFESTA explores Caribbean-influenced music, dance, drama, visual arts, and literature. This year’s theme ‘Caribbean Roots…Global Excellence’ was chosen to highlight the deep cultural heritage of the region and its powerful impact on the world stage.
Speaking earlier this year about Barbados’ CARIFESTA host status, the island’s Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, said: “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.”
The last CARIFESTA was held in Trinidad and Tobago in 2019. Barbados has previously hosted the event in 1981 and 2017.

Background
Dating back to 1972, when the first festival was held in Guyana, CARIFESTA has developed into a beloved tradition that unites the Caribbean and its diaspora.
The aims of CARIFESTA are to:
- Depict the life of the people of the region – their heroes, morale, myth, traditions, beliefs, creativeness, ways of expression.
- Show the similarities and the differences of the people of the Caribbean and Latin America.
- Create a climate in which art can flourish so that artists would be encouraged to return to their homeland.
- Awaken a regional identity in literature.
- Stimulate and unite the cultural movement throughout the region.