The fate of Pirates Week in the Cayman Islands has been sealed.
At least for the next three years.
Good corporate citizen Digicel has decided to become the principal sponsor of the annual festival, from 2005 to 2007.
Their decision means that Pirates Week is guaranteed to go on and be a top-notch event for locals and tourists.
Putting on Pirates Week is a major undertaking.
Pirates Week Executive Director Dave Martins and those who work with him are to be applauded for all of the hard work to make the festival a success.
In the past the Cayman Islands knew there would be a Pirates Week, but full funding wasn’t always sure.
Mr. Martins has promised that this year’s Pirates Week will be bigger and better than in the past. They are words we hear echoed each year before the October to November party gets started.
With Digicel’s support this year’s party is guaranteed to indeed be bigger and better.
It’s important that Pirates Week come back and come back strong this year.
The festival was placed on the back burner last year because of Hurricane Ivan. This country had plenty on its plate rather than consider a national party.
Too, the timing just wasn’t practical or proper to have a national festival, what with it coming so close on the heels of a hurricane that brought devastation to just about every inch of Grand Cayman.
But the Caymanian spirit has rallied and it is now time to celebrate our history and heritage through 11 days of play.
Digicel’s participation will mean this year’s Pirates Week will boast more ships, bigger fireworks displays, more decorations and a wider range of entertainment, including 12 Cayman-based bands.
The sponsorship also means more money to the districts to put on their individual heritage days.
Heritage days are a perfect time for those new to the country and those just visiting to learn about Cayman’s culture and history.
Too, sponsorship from an international telecommunications company means the Cayman Islands Pirates Week will get much more exposure than in the past.
The idea behind the annual festival is to help boost tourism in a typically slow period of tourists visiting the Caribbean.
It’s good to have a sponsor that can reach out to people beyond our shores and share with them information about this huge yearly event.
While Digicel’s sponsorship is excellent, Mr. Martins and his team will need more help. If you’re asked to volunteer to help with Pirates Week, please do so cheerfully.
Together we can certainly make this the best Pirates Week ever and prove once again that it’s going to take more than a huge hurricane to keep this country down.
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