T&T confirms participation in CARIFESTA XV in Barbados

The Ministry of Culture and Community Development has officially announced Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in the Fifteenth Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA XV), set to take place in Barbados from August 22 to 31, 2025. The festival, hosted by the Government and people of Barbados, will be held under the theme, “Caribbean Roots; Global Excellence.”

Led by Minister of Culture and Community Development, Michelle Benjamin, Trinidad and Tobago’s national delegation will join artists, performers, writers, and cultural practitioners from across the region to celebrate and showcase the Caribbean’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.

Since its inaugural staging in Guyana in August 1972, CARIFESTA has been the region’s premier multidisciplinary arts festival, designed to “depict the life of the people of the Region, forging a Caribbean identity through shared creativity, tradition, and expression.” The festival has travelled throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, with each host nation adding its own imprint, strengthening regional unity and artistic growth.

Trinidad and Tobago played host to CARIFESTA XIV in 2019 under the theme “The Tangible and the Intangible – Connect. Share. Invest,” marking one of the country’s multiple contributions to the festival’s legacy. By letter dated January 28, 2025, Senator Dr Shantal Munro-Knight, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office of Barbados, formally invited CARICOM member states to participate in CARIFESTA XV.

In response, Minister Benjamin said: “It is a distinct honour for Trinidad and Tobago to have hosted CARIFESTA XIV in 2019 and to now entrust Barbados, once again, with the responsibility of continuing this celebration of Caribbean culture. CARIFESTA remains a powerful platform that unites us through our shared heritage and culture. We are grateful for the invitation extended by the Government and people of Barbados and look forward to showcasing our cultural offerings on their shores.”

Trinidad and Tobago has participated in every CARIFESTA and has hosted the festival more times than any other nation—1992, 1995, 2006, and 2019—revitalising and redefining the festival’s vision with each edition. With pride, the country now passes the mantle to Barbados, continuing the cherished tradition of cultural unity and innovation across the Caribbean.