Two New Sports Festivals Kick Off in September
Fitness enthusiasts are in for a treat as two new events come on stream this September. The L’Atitude 13 Degrees North Barbados Beach and Wellness Festival and the Barbados Cycling Festival are the latest additions to the Barbados 2017 Year of Sports calendar.
Devon Chase, Manager of Sports at the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), said that “Sports is definitely the focus for us this year, and it was important that we refreshed the sporting calendar with new events that utilize the infrastructure already in place. Health and wellness and cycling both already command massive followings and we are expecting heavy buy-in, not just from visitors but from a number of locals who are very much into fitness and wellness lifestyles.”
L’Atitude 13 Degrees North Barbados Beach and Wellness Festival
From September 2-3, the Hilton Barbados Hotel will be transformed to host the inaugural Beach and Wellness Festival, which will feature two days of wellness activities including workout sessions, massages and beach yoga. Pamela Harris, Melodie Richardson and Lana Sealy are some of the confirmed instructors, while Julie McNeil, Claire Haynes and Christy Punnett are some of the featured motivational speakers. Evy Bentham’s popular Wukup Workout will also be a part of the line-up.
After a full day of beach culture activities such as beach tennis, volleyball and netball, the evenings will end in a bonfire and healthy barbecue. Stalls from the Brighton’s and Holder’s Farmers Markets will be featured in a Kula Market, showcasing clothing, arts and crafts, juice stations, cooking demonstrations and much more.
Adding to the festival atmosphere, a range of local performers will entertain and energize the crowd, including Debbie Reifer, Biggie Irie and the Israel Lovell Foundation.
Gary Wilson, one of the organizers of the Festival, said “We do a number of these events in Europe and across the world and we’re seeing a growth in this type of event. Gone are the days of people just going to music festivals or to yoga retreats. We’re seeing an increase in overall wellbeing – the healthy diets and healthy drinks are certainly growing in demand; however, this is the first time we’re doing one in Barbados.”
The Festival is free to attend and open to the general public, however there will be a fee for the yoga classes and tickets can be purchased in advance or on the day.
Barbados Cycling Festival
Local and visiting cyclists will experience Barbados like never before.
Geared towards cycling enthusiasts, the Festival will feature a mix of road cycling activities culminating in a Round the Island Sportive entitled The Barbados 360 and Mountain Bike (MTB) trail rides.
The six-day event has been designed for cyclists of all abilities to discover Barbados from an unparalleled perspective. The first five days will offer visitors the opportunity to traverse through various parishes of Barbados on both road and mountain bikes, culminating in the round-the-island main road sportive which will be held on the final day.
Jane Hansom, one of the organizers of the Festival and age-group winner at 2016 Ironman World Championships, described it as the perfect fit for the island. “Barbados has an amazing cycling scene going on. There’s lots of riders every morning going out at 4:30 a.m. doing three-hour rides before work and sometimes after work. There’s a thriving scene here and the Barbados Cycling Union (BCU) is doing a lot to encourage and develop the sport of cycling on the island. We’re working in conjunction with the BCU to develop this Sportive and I’m hoping it’s going to be a massive success.”
Between September 5-9 there will be free road rides and Mountain Bike trail rides every day, starting at approximately 5:00 a.m. Then, on September 10, tickets can be purchased to enter the Sportive, featuring a 95 KM Gold Course and 63 KM Silver Course, both starting from the Bay Street Esplanade at 6:00 a.m. There will also be massage stations, food and drink stalls, and live music performances.
The Gold Course carries a prize purse of U.S. $7,000. Prizes listed below:
- 1st place: US$2,000 plus 2 x return flights and accommodation (1 x male, 1 x female)
- 2nd place: US$1,000 (1 x male, 1 x female)
- 3rd place: US$500 (1 x male, 1 x female)
More information on both festivals can be found on the Visit Barbados website:
Health and Wellness Festival: https://www.visitbarbados.org/barbadoswellnessfestival
Cycling Festival: https://www.visitbarbados.org/barbadoscyclingfestival
