They say you can’t fool Mother Nature.
But the Cayman Islands Pirates Week Committee and Ministry of Tourism are doing their best to do an end run around her.
Pirates Week is our national festival to woo visitors and party for 11 days, celebrating pirate lore, our heritage and culture.
Typically it’s been held at the end of October, which is the rainiest month for the Cayman Islands, to help boost tourism in the low season.
We always anticipate some precipitation during Pirates Week festivities, but last year’s event was a total disaster.
Just about all of the events of the 2005 festival were rained out. It was miserable.
This year Pirates Week is going to be held from 9 to 19 November. It’s closer to high season than in October, but it’s still a pretty quiet time as far as stay-over guests are concerned.
This year’s festival should go on without a hitch and offer the excellent combination of street dances, district days, landing pageant, float parade, fireworks shows, festival queen costume competition, songfest, trial of the pirates, sports events and kids’ activities.
The Pirates Week Committee is promising great things this year and is adding some new features, including an individual pirate costume contest for fun lovers of all ages.
There will be lots of music, entertainment and food as well as the flow of adult and kid friendly beverages.
Behind it all is corporate sponsor Digicel, which will entertain us with laser effects off Breezes by the Bay’s balcony and colourful decorations downtown.
Digicel adopted Pirates Week last year and has signed on as the major sponsor until 2007.
The telecom company’s support means that Pirates Week will be fully funded this year and next.
We need for this year’s Pirates Week to be a success. We haven’t had a decent one in more than two years.
The festival was placed on the back burner in 2004 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.
Pirates Week is also getting some international attention this year as the Department of Tourism is pushing the event overseas.
It will also get some international coverage through television networks BET and Synergy.
Because this will be our first real Pirates Week in a couple of years, everyone is encouraged to take part in the George Town activities and district Heritage Days.
If you’re asked to volunteer to help with Pirates Week, please do so cheerfully.
By working together we can make Pirates Week 2006 a huge success.
Related Videos
