Eat local at the Barbados Food & Wine Festival in Oct. Photo Credit Sandals Resorts

BARBADOS FOOD AND RUM FESTIVAL INVITES FOODIES WHO LIKE TO EAT LOCAL

Barbados Food and Rum Festival is the Caribbean’s Biggest Culinary Festival

Bridgetown, Barbados Aug. 2023: Bring your appetite to the Barbados Food and Rum Festival from Oct. 19 – Oct. 22. After a successful return last year, the 12^th edition of the Festival is with the theme “Feed the Future”. www.foodandrum.com “After a decade, we have been looking at the evolution of the Festival and we have found the perfect recipe for success,” said Aprille Thomas, Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications, The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. www.barbados.org

02 Beach Club is a hotel sponser of the Barbados Food and Rum Festival Photo Credit 02 Beach Club

Festival Signature Events

On Oct.19 the ‘Oistins Under the Stars’ events opens the Festival. On Oct. 20 , ‘Chef Classics’ invites chef wannabees to enjoy cooking demos hosted by Food Network’s Chef Anne Burrell; Celebrity Chef, Chef Juan Diego Vanegas; and UK Masterchef winner, Chef Shelina Permalloo. In the evening, sip and snack along the ‘Rum Route’ and learn why Barbados is known as the Birthplace of Rum. Saturday morning, Oct. 21, ‘Rise and Rum is a clever Breakfast Beach Party while a new event ‘Bajan Fair’ also takes place. In the evening, a trio of international chefs will host ‘Journey of Food’ private dinners at different upscale restaurants island-wide. Chef, Renee Blackman will be hosting at O2 Beach Club on Dover Beach; UK Masterchef Winner, Shelina Permalloo will be hosting at the All Seasons Resort and Chef Juan Diego Vanegas will be hosting at Colony Club. These dinners begin at 7:00 p.m. The Festival ends with its‘Liquid Gold Feast’ on Oct. 22. For ticket information, visit www.foodandrum.com

This year, four international chefs will take part in this year’s Festival.

Food Network’s Chef Anne Burrell from the USA;
Celebrity Chef, Chef Reneé Blackman from the USA;
UK MasterChef, Chef Shelina Permalloo;
and from Colombia, Chef Juan Diego Vanegas

Cou-cou and flying fish is signature dish on the island Photo Credit Barbados.org

“Everyone has been saying that this is shaping up to be the best Food and Rum Festival ever. We have been nominated at the World’s Culinary Awards for the Caribbean’s Best Food Festival. I am confident that we will be victorious when the winners are announced in Dubai in October. So, let’s take a moment to celebrate our culinary talent; the heart and soul of the Festival,” said Butcher.

Partnership with Condé Nast
Once again, the BTMI has partnered with Condé Nast to position Barbados as a top culinary destination. This year’s partnership will continue to garner international appeal, excitement and interest about the Festival well ahead of the official start date of the Festival.

Condé Nast will host a series of creative digital content to highlight the island’s cuisine and historical influences as well as Instagram takeovers and email blasts to their millions of followers so that persons will keep the upcoming Food and Rum Festival to front of mind.

For more information on the Festival and to purchase tickets to the events, visit www.foodandrum.com

About Barbados
The island of Barbados offers a unique Caribbean experience steeped in rich history and colourful culture, and rooted in remarkable landscapes. Barbados is the home of two of the three remaining Jacobean Mansions left in the Western hemisphere, as well as fully functional rum distilleries. In fact, this island is known as the birthplace of rum, commercially producing and bottling the spirit since the 1700s. Each year, Barbados hosts several world-class events including the annual Barbados Food and Rum Festival; the annual Barbados Reggae Festival; and the annual Crop Over Festival, where celebrities such as Lewis Hamilton and its very own Rihanna are often spotted. Accommodations are wide and varied, ranging from picturesque plantation houses and villas to quaint bed and breakfast gems; prestigious international chains; and award-winning five-diamond resorts. In 2018, Barbados’ accommodation sector captured 13 awards in the Top Hotels Overall, Luxury, All-Inclusive, Small, Best Service, Bargain, and Romance categories of the ‘Traveler’s Choice Awards’. And getting to paradise is a breeze: the Grantley Adams International Airport offers plenty non-stop and direct services from a growing number of U.S., U.K., Canadian, Caribbean, European, and Latin American gateways, making Barbados the true gateway to the Eastern Caribbean. Visit Barbados and experience why for two years in a row it won the prestigious Star Winter Sun Destination Award at the ‘Travel Bulletin Star Awards’ in 2017 and 2018. For more information on travel to Barbados, visit www.visitbarbados.org, follow on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/VisitBarbados, and via Twitter @Barbados.

Local PR contact:
Aprille Thomas
Director, Communications and Public Relations
aprillet@visitbarbados.org