datebook If you’re in . . . MIAMI GUYANA TRINIDAD kiwanis club of little havana Carnaval Miami Venues around Miami 10 February to 11 <strong>March</strong> carnavalmiami.com Every year, Miami’s Latin community celebrate their roots at month-long Carnaval Miami <strong>—</strong> one of the city’s largest festivals of Latin culture, and a community project fundraiser by the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana. <strong>March</strong> kicks off with Carnaval on the Mile, a street festival stretching the full length of Coral Gables’ “Miracle Mile.” With food stalls, live bands, and exhibits by over 150 artists, downtown Coral Gables becomes a hotspot for art-lovers. Foodies unite at Cork & Fork, the Cooking Showdown, and the Cuban Sandwich Smackdown. In Miami, <strong>March</strong> has even been proclaimed Cuban sandwich month. But you’re guaranteed to work off the calories at Calle Ocho Miami. Traversing the twenty blocks of this street festival will make you dance the entire day, as you enjoy music stages, international food stations, and other entertainment. Havana, Cuba, may be renowned for its ballet, vintage cars, and cigars, but the Calle Ocho festival in Miami’s own Little Havana is notorious for the party <strong>—</strong> and for breaking records. In 1988, the festival set a world record for the longest conga line, with 119,986 people, and in 2000 it served up the world’s longest cigar. Maybe this year they’ll serve up the world’s largest Cuban sandwich! ChuckSchugPhotography/istock.com Bartica Easter Regatta 31 <strong>March</strong> to 2 <strong>April</strong> Bartica, Essequibo Guyana’s “many waters” meet at the confluence of the Mazaruni, Cuyuni and Essequibo Rivers, where the mining town of Bartica hosts a magnificent array of entertaining activities over the long Easter weekend. And it all began because of a challenge from a competitive local to a thrill-seeking foreigner. In 1947, a visiting yachtsman sped across the Essequibo in his twenty-twohorsepower-engine yacht, displaying “adventurous river navigation skills.” Locals were intrigued. Not to be outdone, Charles Guthrie, manager of a Bartica electrical company, pulled out his own arsenal <strong>—</strong> an aluminium utility boat with the same engine. Needless to say, the entire town of Bartica and environs came out to witness the contest, and the rest is history. The Easter Regatta begins with a Street Jam on Easter Saturday, followed by the Miss Regatta Pageant. Easter Sunday and Monday bring the main event: F1 Power Boat Racing, where dozens of vessels compete in an expanse of river broad as a bay. Other activities include a gymkhana presentation, a gospel concert, and various sporting competitions. NGC Bocas Lit Fest National Library and other venues around Port of Spain 25 to 29 <strong>April</strong> bocaslitfest.com A passion for bringing words alive is palpable at the Anglophone <strong>Caribbean</strong>’s largest literary festival. Your biggest problem might be deciding which events to attend, from the selection of over a hundred workshops, readings, lively discussions, and film screenings. This year’s headline writers include Jamaica’s first female poet laureate, Lorna Goodison, alongside Trinidadborn Canadian novelist André Alexis and star poets Kei Miller and Vahni Capildeo. <strong>Caribbean</strong> writers are the heart of the festival, joined this year by authors from Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Fiji <strong>—</strong> part of a special focus on global island literature. Intellectual heft is expected in discussions on the future of islands, with special emphasis on economics, development, and the environment. And if you can’t attend the main festival, there’s a month-long prefestival programme of performances, book launches, and films. Event previews by Shelly-Ann Inniss georgia popplewell 18 WWW.CARIBBEAN-BEAT.COM
@eldoradorums eldorado_rum @eldoradorums