island

BY A

VA ROS

ALES

DATESnot to miss The pulsating sounds and scintillating sights of the Caribbean are

calling, from drumming in Grenada and Puerto Rico to colorful stilt

walkers that amaze the crowds in the Bahamas. All senses are

awakened for a sweet summer of festivals, frolicking and feasting.

Month-long activities on land and at sea definitely keep the climate

“kool.” And if you have never been to a “jump up” or seen Junkanoo,

then you really haven’t experienced the Caribbean to its fullest. So

don’t miss another moment, and head to some of the hottest action

in the lands that certainly know how to “stir it up.”

OCTOBEROver on Curaçao, bodies glide through the water to great depths. The famous Deja Blue Freediving competitions are being held on the island for the first time. This event has spectators topside holding their breath in anticipation for the winners. Deja Blue Freediving, October 5 – 10 www.performancefreediving.com/news-events/deja-blue-2013

This gender-equal, high-speed water venture places a woman at the helm as vessels navigate the Francis Drake channel in the British Virgin Islands: Cheer on racers and cruisers at this year’s Virgin's Cup, October 19 www.bvitourism.com/events-festivals#sthash.FWMhr10G.dpuf http://www.royalbviyc.org

Dominica gets things moving to the sounds of their pulsating World Creole Music Festival, October 25 – 27.

Closing the month, two countries vie to attract guests to virtual bacchanals of food and drink. Saint Lucia hosts the Food and Rum Festival, October 30 – November 2; and Turks and Caicos come together for the Third Annual Food and Wine Festival, a mélange of international cuisine and island favorites, garnished with all things Caribbean, October 31 – November 2 www.caribbeanfoodandwinefestivaltci.com

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Not to be outdone, the Dominican Republic undulates with music, bringing internationally acclaimed jazz musicians together for the country’s longest running jazz event. Swoon to classic jazz rhythms and feel the Latin jazz pulsate to your core. Guest artists include Bernie Williams, along with jazz legends Abraham Laboriel, Sr. (Mexico), Marco Pignataro (Italy), Ramón Vázquez (Puerto Rico), Grammy Award-winner Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez (Cuba), Rufus Reid (USA), George Garzone (USA), Billy Drummond (USA), Alex Acuña (Peru), Richie Flores (Puerto Rico), and the Latin Grammy Award-winners Johnny Ventura (Dominican Republic) and Milly Quezada (Dominican Republic). Catch the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, Oct. 31 – Nov. 3.

NOVEMBERThe British Virgin Islands are prepared to keep the festivities afloat with food paired with fine wine on Tortola at the BVI Wine & Food Festival, November 1 – 3 www.bvitourism.com/events-festivals#sthash.jQ8SbuUB.dpuf An extended stay on the islands will delight all off the shores of Anegada with the Capt. Lowell Wheatley Memorial Gamefish Tournament, November 15 – 17 www.bvitourism.com/event/capt-lowell-wheatley-memorial-gamefish-tournament#sthash.Sp35cQ13.dpuf

Saint Martin strengthens relationships between neighboring islands Saint Martin/St. Maarten, Saint Barthelemy/Saint Barths, and Anguilla through maneuvers on the high seas. It should be smooth sailing for sailors and spectators at La Course de l’Alliance, November 23 – 25 www.coursedelalliance.com/us_welcome.php

The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) attracts a range of racer and cruiser yachts for the challenging transatlantic competition that begins in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria at the end of November and concludes in the Caribbean at Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia – what a sight to behold just before Christmas as more than 200 vessels converge on the island, November 25 – December 22.

DECEMBERBermuda is in a “fair way” at the top of the month with a golf tournament sponsored by what else but the Caribbean’s spirit of choice – rum. Professionals will be swinging their clubs and maneuvering the rolling landscape while spectators enjoy a cocktail or two at Gosling’s Invitational Golf Tournament, December 1 – 5 www.goslingsrum.com/whatsnew_article.asp?ArticleID=313 The month also draws on celebrations of joy, as the Christmas season nears. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, December closes with their National Christmas Festival and the indigenous Nine Mornings Festival. This will mark the country’s 100th year of this celebration of the nine mornings leading up to Christmas, with celebrants and audiences awaking to pre-dawn street concerts, fetes, the melodic playing of steel pan and more. It’s a jubilee that only the islands could have conceived out of Catholics’ early morning rituals, December 17 – 25. Then on St. Kitts it’s carnival in full swing with dancing through the streets during J’Ouvert, December 26.