Caribbean meets Celtic in food and music festival

By PETER RANSCOMBE
Published on 20/05/2012 00:00

SCOTLAND’S second-largest whisky distiller and one of the biggest rum brands in the Caribbean have teamed up to sponsor a Celtic food and music festival in Barbados, which has attracted a string of performers in recent years, including former Fairground Attraction singer Eddi Reader.

Chivas and Mount Gay Rum have joined local beer brand Banks in backing the festival, which will be headlined by the Peatbog Faeries.

The band will be performing at Holders, the resort run by Wendy Kidd, mother of supermodel Jodie and make-up artist Jemma.

Other acts signed up for next month’s festival include the Alan Kelly Gang, Sandra MacBeth’s Band, Fiona Young Band and Celtic Fusion, a dance troupe from Nova Scotia.

Chefs taking part in the week-long celebration include Paul Wedgwood, who runs his eponymous restaurant on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and was part of last year’s event.

Festival organiser Carol Anderson, who runs Edinburgh-based public relations firm The Business, said: “Following the popularity of last year’s festival, Chivas and Mount Gay were both really keen to be involved this year.

“The festival promotes Barbados in Scotland but also the reverse is true. Most of the visitors to Barbados come from the UK and the United States so they are all being exposed to Scotland as well.” The number of visitors travelling to Barbados from Ireland, Scotland and Wales jumped 23 per cent during last year’s event, according to the Barbados Tourism Authority.

Last year’s festival was the subject of a “member’s motion” in the Scottish Parliament in November, when MSPs marked Scotland’s historic connections with the island, which go back more than 350 years. The festival was also featured on STV’s The Hour programme.

Celtic Festival Barbados was launched in the 1990s but the programme expanded dramatically last year when Anderson took over as organiser. As well as the food and music, the festival will also have a series of “fringe” events, including a Highland games tournament and a forest walk.