The Cayman National Cultural Foundation has announced that its annual Cayman National Festival of the Arts, CayFest, will be celebrated over 20 days, from 1-22 March, with multiple venues across the islands showcasing diverse art forms and traditions.
“The expansion of CayFest reflects the growth of Cayman’s arts community and our commitment to meeting the increasing demand for creative opportunities,” Cassandra Shea, head of theatre and festivals at CNCF, told the Cayman Compass.
“By dedicating an extended period of our theatre schedule, we are providing more space and time for local artists, creative partners, academics, and cultural practitioners to showcase their work. This broader timeline allows us to reach a wider audience and feature a more diverse range of talent and programming.”
Shea said by extending CayFest, which has been Cayman’s premier arts and culture festival, celebrating a colourful mix of visual arts, music, theatre, dance, film, fashion design and discussions, “It also enables us to deepen school and community engagement, as well as highlight the talent flourishing in Cayman.”
The expanded schedule will culminate on 22 March with the highly anticipated Red Sky at Night multicultural arts fair, the festival’s signature event, held on the Harquail Theatre grounds. The event showcases Caymanian traditions and crafts, as well as local artisans and food vendors, steel pan and DJs, storytelling, dance troupes and film, ensuring there is no shortage of entertainment.
Shea confirmed this year, the Harquail Theatre and other venues will be open and accessible throughout the 20 days on schedule, hosting a variety of free and ticketed/paid events for attendees to enjoy.
Over the course of 20 days, Shea said, “The community will have the rare opportunity to enjoy a year’s worth of creative works condensed into a vibrant series of shows and events. The festival will feature a dynamic mix, including play readings, performances, and discussions – some highlighting exciting new projects, while others bring back beloved favourites for an encore.”
She added, “The festival is an essential platform for showcasing the wide breadth of talent within our community while also fostering valuable opportunities for collaboration among local artists, academics, and creative partners.
“Many of the participating artists have received grants from us or expressed a desire to use our space, but with much of the year dedicated to rentals, CayFest stands out as the only time in 2025 for artists to secure a spot for projects they’re passionate about – and for the public to experience them.”
In the lead up of the festival, the foundation is calling on artists, educators and cultural practitioners to submit “innovate proposals for workshops, venue support, productions, pop-ups, lectures and performances”, according to a CNCF newsletter.
Shea confirmed the foundation has already received “numerous submissions” ahead of the official deadline of 17 Jan.
“[It has] provided us with some strong candidates from the community; however, we would love to see even more submissions, particularly from dancers, lecturers with a specialised focus on the creative community, poetry and theatre performers, and filmmakers interested in screening their work,” Shea said.
Those interested in applying should contact the CNCF for more information.
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