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标签： Barbados

巴巴多斯

  • BRA advises early filers to refile 2025 Tax Returns following PIT update

    BRA advises early filers to refile 2025 Tax Returns following PIT update

    Barbados’ top tax regulatory body has announced a mandatory refiling requirement for more than 3,000 individuals who submitted their 2025 Personal Income Tax (PIT) returns ahead of the rollout of an updated official form.

    The Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) confirmed that all returns submitted prior to March 27, 2026, were completed using an outdated version of the form. The previous iteration failed to incorporate key adjustments rolled out as part of the 2026 national budget: expanded tax credits and revised income thresholds, which were formally unveiled by the Minister of Finance in a March 16, 2026 address. To guarantee that eligible taxpayers can access the full benefits granted by these new budget provisions, all prematurely filed returns will be removed from the system.

    BRA Revenue Commissioner Jason King stressed that precision during the tax filing process is non-negotiable for both the agency and taxpayers. “This update is specifically designed to make sure taxpayers get every benefit they are entitled to from the enhanced credits and expanded income thresholds we introduced last month,” King explained. “That said, it is critical that people set aside a few minutes to go over their personal information carefully before they resubmit. Getting the details right at this early stage avoids processing delays and ensures you walk away with all the eligible benefits.”

    Beyond the refiling mandate, the BRA has also flagged a separate issue impacting a subset of taxpayers who already filed using the updated form: incomplete or erroneous third-party submitted data.

    By legal requirement, all third-party entities including employers, pension providers, labor unions and unemployment agencies were required to submit relevant statutory data, including PAYE schedules, pension income records, union dues documentation, unemployment benefit statements, and other third-party issued payment records, by February 28, 2026. However, the BRA reports that in a number of cases, this critical data has not yet been uploaded to taxpayer accounts, or contains inaccuracies that could throw off the final calculation of a filer’s tax liability or benefits.

    King urged individual taxpayers to take personal responsibility for verifying the information tied to their accounts, rather than relying on third-party submissions to be automatically correct. “Taxpayers should never just assume that their pre-filled records are complete and accurate,” King noted. “It is absolutely essential that every person check that all relevant information has been uploaded to their account and that all entries are correct before they finalize their filing. A quick 10-minute review can mean the difference between a seamless filing process and unnecessary, time-consuming complications down the line.”

    The BRA clarified that only the original third-party submitting entity, such as an employer or pension administrator, has the authority to correct errors or missing information in their submitted data. In line with this, the agency is encouraging all taxpayers, regardless of whether they are affected by the refiling mandate, to carefully review their BRA accounts, confirm all required data is present and accurate, and ensure their final submission is completed using the most up-to-date version of the 2025 PIT form.

  • Government launches programme to assist most vulnerable

    Government launches programme to assist most vulnerable

    Facing persistent global economic turbulence driven by volatile energy markets and stubbornly high inflation, the government of Barbados is rolling out a targeted Cost of Living Cash Credit program, a core policy included in the latest national budget, designed to ease financial strain on the country’s most vulnerable residents. First disbursements are scheduled to begin April 20, with senior pensioners and recipients of special needs grants prioritized in the program’s opening phase.

    During a formal press briefing hosted at the National Insurance and Social Security (NISS) headquarters on Culloden Road, Finance Minister Ryan Straughn and NISS Chief Executive Officer Kim Tudor walked reporters through the administrative structure of the relief package, clarifying eligibility rules and disbursement processes for the public. Straughn framed the initiative as a proactive, forward-thinking intervention to provide much-needed financial certainty for households amid ongoing global market uncertainty.

    Straughn noted that while global oil prices have experienced temporary dips in recent months, the underlying volatility of energy markets remains an outsized risk for small island developing states like Barbados, which rely heavily on energy imports. “Given all the uncertainty that’s taking place within the energy space, we wanted to make sure that we give Barbadians the opportunity to be able to plan their budgets over the course of the next 12 months,” he explained. He added that the cash credit complements broader government actions, including a completed fuel price hedge that has stabilized domestic fuel costs for consumers, to insulate the country from international market swings.

    One key clarification the minister emphasized during the briefing is that the cash credit is a one-off targeted relief measure, not a permanent increase to standard national insurance pensions. He addressed widespread confusion among residents, many of whom had expected an adjustment to their regular April pension checks: “The cash grant is separate and distinct from the pensions that are paid by the National Insurance. The reason that they did not see an increase on the pension check is because the cash credit is not tied to your pension. Eligibility follows the framework laid out in the national Budget.”

    NISS, which has been tapped to administer the bulk of payments, will draw on lessons and logistics infrastructure developed during previous large-scale government relief disbursements to streamline the process. Tudor confirmed that for the vast majority of pre-registered eligible beneficiaries, no additional action is required to receive funds. Payments will be issued on the 20th of each month, or the immediately preceding business day if the 20th falls on a weekend or public holiday.

    “For existing NIS and public sector pensioners, as well as current special needs grant recipients, we already have your contact information and payment details on file. If you are accustomed to receiving a cheque, you will receive a cheque. If you receive your pension via direct bank lodgement, it will come via lodgement. You don’t have to do anything,” Tudor advised. That said, two specific groups of potential beneficiaries are required to complete an in-person registration process to access the benefit: people over the age of 65 who are unemployed and do not receive any local or international pension, and new welfare recipients who did not participate in 2023’s Solidarity Allowance program.

    Registration opened this week at the Steel Shed in Queen’s Park, and will remain open for the next two weeks. Applicants must bring valid government-issued photo identification, and those requesting direct bank deposit must also bring recent bank statements to confirm account details. Tudor also reminded the public of a strict eligibility cap: any pensioner with an annual income exceeding BBD $50,000 does not qualify for the credit, which is reserved exclusively for Barbadian residents facing tangible cost-of-living hardships.

    Beyond the core cost-of-living credit for low-income vulnerable groups, the government is also activating a new multiple births support benefit. Families with multiple children under the age of five born from a single pregnancy are invited to submit birth certificates and banking details to the newly formed Social Empowerment Agency, an amalgamation of the former Child Care Board, Welfare Department, and National Assistance Board.

    Straughn framed the rollout of these two programs as a key step in the government’s broader mission to modernize public service delivery and streamline inter-agency data sharing. He pointed to the upcoming June launch of the BiMPay digital payment platform as a transformative milestone that will revolutionize how the government disburses funds to citizens. “As we seek to harmonise our systems, it is going to be important that persons are confident that once they share the information with a specific agency, we can process that information very quickly,” he said. “It is really my desire that the government and the country will be able to move to a different stage of being able to deliver all types of government payments in a much more seamless way.”

    While monthly disbursement is the default option to support ongoing household budget planning, the government has added flexible payment scheduling to accommodate different needs. Beneficiaries who prefer to receive their credit on a quarterly or annual basis can opt into these alternative schedules during the April-to-June opt-in window, with the new payment frequency taking effect in the third quarter starting September. With the first payments set to reach accounts on April 20, government officials project that approximately 60,000 Barbadians will benefit from the program over the coming 12 months, and express confidence that the targeted, focused strategy will provide meaningful relief amid ongoing global economic uncertainty.

  • Retired judge sues State, ex-CJ, alleges unlawful removal

    Retired judge sues State, ex-CJ, alleges unlawful removal

    A landmark legal challenge has rocked Barbados’ judicial sector, as retired High Court Justice Dr. Sonia Richards has brought a sweeping constitutional claim against the state of Barbados and its former top judicial officer, Sir Patterson Cheltenham. The unprecedented suit alleges multiple violations of Richards’ fundamental constitutional rights, including being unlawfully locked out of her official chambers and pushed out of her judicial post against established law.

    Filed by Richards last year and formally served on all named respondents just last week, the 25-page legal filing lays out a detailed series of grievances against the two defendants: the Office of the Attorney General, listed as the first respondent, and Sir Patterson, named in his former capacity as Chief Justice at the time of the alleged incidents. Richards, who was appointed to the High Court bench in April 2006 and formally left the judiciary in May 2022 at the age of 66, outlines multiple claims against the pair, including breach of constitutional protections, defamation, violation of her judicial employment terms, and severe personal harm stemming from the alleged actions.

    Per the court documents dated April 4, 2025, Richards is seeking multiple legal remedies, including exemplary and vindicatory damages, legal costs permitted for two senior counsel, accrued interest, and any additional relief the court deems appropriate. She has also asked the court to issue formal declarations confirming that the respondents violated core constitutional rights: protection against uncompensated property seizure, right to equal protection under the law, and protection against inhumane or degrading treatment.

    The core incident at the center of the suit dates back to April 2022, just over a month before Richards’ scheduled retirement. Richards alleges that on April 6, 2022, Sir Patterson ordered her to surrender her official building access swipe card and office keys, a demand she refused. Six days later, when she arrived for work at the Supreme Court Complex on White Park Road, she found neither her key nor swipe card worked to grant entry. Though security escorted her into the building, she discovered the lock to her office had been replaced, and her nameplate had been removed from the door. When she ultimately gained entry to the space, she found unfamiliar files left inside, and later learned an acting judge had already been assigned to use the office. While her access card was reactivated shortly before her official retirement, she never received a replacement office key, she claims.

    Beyond the April 2022 lockout incident, Richards alleges the event was the end result of years of unfair treatment in her role. She claims she was consistently assigned a heavier caseload than her fellow judges, routinely working until 9 or 10 p.m. on weekdays. The retired justice also argues the lockout amounted to defamation, as it implied to fellow judicial staff, legal practitioners, and the general public that she had acted improperly and no longer held authority to occupy her office.

    On the matter of her tenure extension, Richards notes that six months before she turned 65—the mandatory retirement age for judges without an extension—she submitted a formal request to the prime minister for a two-year extension of her term. She was ultimately granted only a one-year extension by the then-governor general, but she alleges the required consultation between herself and the viceroy, mandated under Section 84(1A) of the Barbados Constitution, never took place.

    Richards says the alleged actions of the defendants and other senior judicial and government officials left her with severe negative health impacts, including clinical depression, social withdrawal, loss of appetite, chronic insomnia, and a reluctance to leave her home.

    When contacted for comment this Tuesday, Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams declined to share further details beyond confirming he was aware of the legal action. Sir Patterson, however, issued an emphatic denial of all claims during an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY. “I reject all of the assertions in there… deny all, reject all,” the former Chief Justice stated. He added that he had already held preliminary discussions with the Attorney General about legal representation, and was waiting for confirmation on which external counsel would be assigned to defend him in the case. No hearing date has been scheduled for the suit as of yet.

  • Two shot dead, three hurt in holiday gun attacks

    Two shot dead, three hurt in holiday gun attacks

    A string of unconnected gun violence incidents across Barbados on Easter Monday has left two men dead, including a 22-year-old father of two, and three other people injured, pushing local communities to demand immediate, decisive action from law enforcement to curb rising violent crime.

    The youngest fatality, Raul Clarke from Gall Hill, Christ Church, was enjoying the final hours of the popular annual Oistins Fish Festival with a group of people around 10:05 p.m. when a sudden conflict erupted. Shots rang out into the crowd, striking Clarke, an unidentified second man, and a woman. Clarke was rushed to the island’s main Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private vehicle, but he succumbed to his wounds shortly after arrival. The other two injured victims were transported by emergency paramedics and are currently receiving care for non-life-threatening injuries.

    When reporters from Barbados TODAY visited Clarke’s tight-knit Gall Hill neighborhood this week, neighbors remembered the young father, whose second child is only a newborn, as a polite, helpful member of the community. “He didn’t deserve that; nobody deserves that,” shared one long-time neighbor, a mother who previously lost two of her own children to gun violence eight years apart. “I know how his mother must feel right now. It’s very sad.” Clarke’s immediate family was too overwhelmed by grief to speak to reporters during the visit.

    Hundreds of kilometers north in the parish of St Michael, two more separate shooting incidents unfolded during the island’s public Easter beach celebrations. First, just before 7 p.m., officers from the Hastings/Worthing police division responded to reports of gunfire near Brownes Beach. Upon arrival, they discovered the body of an unidentified man lying close to a local commercial establishment. Roughly two hours later, at St Stephen’s Hill – a neighborhood long labeled as a known crime hotspot – a car pulled up alongside a group of people gathered outside a private residence. A passenger exited the vehicle and fired multiple shots, wounding one man before fleeing the scene.

    Acror the affected areas, residents and local business owners have voiced growing frustration and exhaustion with the persistent cycle of gun violence that has upended daily life on the Caribbean island. Many business leaders warned that the escalating crime wave is already hurting local commerce and risks damaging Barbados’ reputation as a safe tourist destination, the backbone of the national economy.

    “It’s about time that this foolishness stops, because it doesn’t help anyone,” one long-time St Michael resident told reporters. “It’s just leaving a trail of fatherless children behind from all this senseless killing. It ain’t worth any of it.”

    Jojo, a small business owner operating near the St Stephen’s Hill area, said while she refuses to live in fear, the constant proximity to violence has left her weary. “This happened pretty close to my shop, and I work right out by the road. If something went wrong here, there’s nowhere for me to run,” she explained. “I’d feel safer having another person with me, but it shouldn’t have to be a requirement just to run a business.”

    Another nearby business owner, who asked to remain anonymous out of safety concerns, shared that even though he does not reside in the neighborhood, his family has grown increasingly worried for his well-being. “I try not to think about it too much, because the truth is you can’t be safe anywhere, no matter what you do,” he said. “Whether you’re inside, outside, at work – you can’t control when and where violence will hit.” He added that the ongoing crime wave already threatens his customer base: “You don’t know how your customers feel about coming here. We still have to wait and see what the long-term impact on business will be, beyond the personal stress.”

    Arkay, a 10-plus year business owner who operates and lives near the Montgomery playing field in Cave Hill, has joined the growing chorus calling for a far more aggressive police crackdown on violent crime, even suggesting combining national police resources with the Barbados Defence Force to root out criminal networks. “The police have got to do their work,” he stressed. “If they need to lock down high-crime areas, get the criminals off the streets, even if they bring in the Defence Force to help – they just need to get the job done.”

    A former taxi driver, Arkay recalled that he once proudly boasted to visiting tourists about Barbados’ historically low crime rate, but said that reputation is now a thing of the past. Today, the violence has reshaped daily life and hurt local business: “By seven o’clock at night, everybody is off the streets. Before, people would come down to the bars, have a drink, then head home. Now nobody wants to come out at all.”

    He warned that if the crisis is not addressed quickly, it will eventually deter international travelers from visiting the island, with devastating consequences for the entire national economy. “If it’s affecting Barbadian citizens, of course it’s going to affect visitors too. The government and police need to do something about this now,” he said.

    Arkay also highlighted a worrying shift in the demographics of those involved in violent crime, noting that perpetrators are getting younger every year. “The age group getting pulled into these criminal acts is exactly the working-age population that’s supposed to be the next generation pushing Barbados forward,” he explained. “If that generation is destroyed by violence and incarceration, what is going to happen to our country?”

  • Murder, arson accused seeks legal aid

    Murder, arson accused seeks legal aid

    A 54-year-old man facing dual charges of murder and arson has formally requested legal aid representation from the court just moments before he was ordered to be remanded into Dodds Prison. Ricardo Okella Stanford, a resident of Bank Hall in St Michael, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick at the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court to answer to the two serious allegations brought against him.

    Prosecutors allege that on March 27, Stanford killed 51-year-old Shanell Smith, and deliberately set fire to a property owned by Mohammed Hans. The arson charge outlines that Stanford either intended to destroy or damage the building, or acted with reckless disregard for the risk of the structure being destroyed by fire.

    As Stanford had no legal representation to stand with him in court, he was not required to enter a plea on the two indictable offences. Addressing the court directly, Stanford made a simple but urgent appeal: “Sir, I am asking the court if I can get a legal aid lawyer please.”

    Magistrate Frederick granted the request and scheduled an adjournment of the proceedings until May 5. Responding to the accused’s appeal, the magistrate confirmed: “Of course. You can avail yourself of a legal aid lawyer. They will provide you with the forms and you can fill them out.”

    After the ruling, Stanford thanked the magistrate before court officers led him away from the dock to begin his remand at Dodds Prison. The case will reconvene in early May once the legal aid application process is completed and representation is secured.

  • Fee-free access, security limits for BiMPay – Central Bank

    Fee-free access, security limits for BiMPay – Central Bank

    In a major push to expand access to secure digital financial services across the Caribbean island nation, the Central Bank of Barbados has formally launched its long-awaited instant payment infrastructure, BiMPay, a 24/7 platform that enables fee-free transfers and transactions for most personal and small business users. Announced via an official public statement on Tuesday, the new system is engineered to process domestic money transfers in fewer than 10 seconds at any time of day, eliminating the constraints of traditional banking hours that have long slowed down peer-to-peer and commercial transactions. For individual users, the cost structure is designed to remove common barriers to digital payment adoption: no fees will be charged regardless of the transaction type, whether users are splitting a bill with friends, paying for everyday retail goods, or sending funds to family. Users can also choose their preferred access point, accessing the service through their existing bank’s mobile banking application or a standalone, account-linked BiMPay e-wallet tailored for simplified use. Small business owners will also see significant cost savings under the policy: any enterprise with annual revenue falling below a set threshold will not face transaction charges, matching the zero-fee structure extended to personal users. For larger commercial entities, however, transaction fees will apply, with each participating financial institution given autonomy to set these costs based on the specific banking agreements it holds with its business clients. Technically, the BiMPay infrastructure is built to support single transactions as large as BDS $500,000, though the Central Bank noted that individual and business customer limits will be set by their respective banks and credit unions. These custom limits are calibrated to each customer’s unique risk profile, balancing transaction flexibility with fraud prevention protocols. A key priority driving the system’s design is expanding financial access to the estimated segment of the Barbadian population that remains unbanked or underbanked, lacking access to traditional full-service bank accounts. For this group, the BiMPay e-wallet offers a streamlined onboarding process that requires far less documentation than a standard bank account, opening the door to digital financial participation for those without formal proof of address or credit history. To maintain compliance with global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) regulations, however, the Central Bank has put in place targeted receiving caps for these simplified e-wallet accounts. Under the rules, simplified e-wallet users can receive a maximum of BDS $750 per day, BDS $2,500 per month, and BDS $30,000 per year. There are no additional restrictions on spending beyond these receiving limits, meaning users can spend any balance held in their e-wallet freely once funds are deposited. Central Bank officials emphasized that these caps were intentionally crafted to strike a deliberate balance between two core goals: expanding broad access to digital financial tools, and upholding rigorous security and regulatory standards. This framework ensures that even Barbadians without traditional banking documentation can join the formal digital economy, while mitigating the risk of illicit activity that comes with simplified onboarding processes. Inclusivity stands as the foundational pillar of the entire BiMPay project, the Central Bank stressed. By eliminating cost barriers for ordinary citizens and creating a low-barrier entry point for those without extensive formal documentation, the system is designed to ensure every resident of Barbados has the opportunity to leverage the speed and convenience of digital payments. Ultimately, the initiative aims to close the long-standing gap between traditional brick-and-mortar banking services and the fast-growing modern digital economy, making instant, reliable digital transactions accessible to the entire population of Barbados.

  • Skies above Andrews Factory come alive for annual kite competition

    Skies above Andrews Factory come alive for annual kite competition

    On a bright Monday morning above the weathered grounds of the historic Andrews Factory, the air hummed with a familiar, beloved sound: the iconic whistle of wind through handcrafted kite frames, and the chatter of generations of Bajan kite enthusiasts gathered for the parish of St. Joseph’s annual kite-flying celebration. This beloved cultural ritual traces its origins back centuries to post-harvest festivities held across Barbados’ sugar-growing regions, and today it stands as a living bridge connecting the island’s industrial sugar-producing past to its vibrant, evolving folk heritage. Though official opening ceremonies were pushed back slightly by unforeseen logistics, the delay did nothing to dim the excitement of attendees, many of whom arrived hours before the event kicked off to claim their spots and catch the steady, ideal morning coastal breeze. By the time the celebration hit its peak, dozens of vibrant, creatively designed kites dotted the bright blue sky, dancing and dipping on the wind in a stunning display of local craftsmanship. For nearly all participants, the annual gathering is far more than a casual competition; it is a chance to uphold a centuries-old passion and strengthen community ties that stretch across decades and even generations. Rodney Clarke, a veteran kite-maker fondly known to the local community as “Mauby,” was spotted carefully piecing together a new handmade kite after his first creation of the day was brought down by a sudden gust of wind. Reflecting on a lifelong connection to the craft, Clarke explained that the tradition has grown from small informal post-harvest gatherings to the well-loved community event it is today, adding that the sense of collective joy far outweighs any competitive prizes on offer. “It’s just as fun as we get. It don’t be really no competition… just come and enjoy yourself,” he said. The event draws participants from near and far every year, including many who have left the parish but return annually for the gathering. Rohan Corbin, who has been flying kites since he was 10 years old, makes the trip even though he no longer lives in the community, drawn back by the tradition he has loved for decades. Not far from Corbin, Kerry Marshall, a kite-maker and flyer with 30 years of experience, traveled all the way from his current home in Florida to take part this year. Marshall has watched the craft evolve over his decades in the hobby, from traditional lightweight paper kites to more durable plastic designs that can stand up to stronger coastal winds, but he says the soul of the handcrafted art has stayed the same. “The sound of it, movement… and that’s a craft, you know, making different characters. We went from paper kites to plastic kites so they can last now… it’s just a craft to look awesome,” Marshall explained. Though this marked his first time entering the event’s formal competition, Marshall expressed confidence in his handcrafted entry, saying “I got a lot of confidence so far… it seems very positive.” While seasoned kite enthusiasts showcased their decades of technical skill and handiwork, the event also made space for emerging new talent, including 20-something Treshad Blenman, who has flown kites since he was a child but made his competitive debut this year. When asked about his chances of taking home a prize, Blenman laughed off any pressure, candidly admitting “Not confident. Not confident” as he pulled his damaged kite from the sky, ending his run in the competition early. By the end of the day, the event once again reaffirmed what the community has known for generations: in the heart of St. Joseph, the centuries-old tradition of handcrafted kite flying remains a soaring, living testament to Bajan ingenuity, creativity, and the unbreakable strength of local community bonds that draw people back year after year.

  • Bumper crowds witness finale to Oistins Fish Festival

    Bumper crowds witness finale to Oistins Fish Festival

    This weekend, the centuries-old coastal fishing community of Oistins in Barbados buzzed with electric excitement and friendly competitive spirit as the decades-old annual Oistins Fish Festival wrapped up its multi-day schedule with a dramatic final day of events. Held to honor Barbados’ deep-rooted connection to maritime fishing traditions, the closing day brought together seasoned local competitors and enthusiastic first-time participants, all testing their craft across a lineup of traditional contests that draw crowds of locals and international tourists year after year. Thousands of onlookers packed the village streets and waterfront to cheer on competitors, soaking up the lively atmosphere that has made the festival a beloved cultural staple for generations.

    The day of competitions opened with the iconic Tray Balancing contest, an event that nods to Oistins’ long history as a bustling open-air fishing market, where vendors historically carried freshly caught produce and seafood to customers on their heads. Contestants were tasked with traversing a marked obstacle course while holding full wooden trays on their heads, forbidden from using their hands to steady the load. Many spectators gasped as competitors navigated tight turns and uneven ground, with most participants dropping their trays long before reaching the finish line. In the end, Alicia Arthur claimed the top prize, moving through the course with unshakable poise and steady grace that outmatched every other contender and left her rivals far behind.

    Next up was the popular egg and spoon race, a lighthearted warm-up for the more rigorous seaside competitions that followed. In a tense final stretch that kept the crowd on their feet, Simran Persad, a Trinidadian student studying at the University of the West Indies, crossed the finish line first to take the win, capping off a nail-biting close that came down to less than a second between the top two runners.

    As the crowd shifted down to Oistins’ sun-dappled waterfront for the festival’s core technical competitions, the energy of the day grew even more intense. First on the waterfront schedule was the Dolphin Skinning contest, where the audience fixed their attention on defending champion Tyrone Shorey, who came into the event looking to extend his long winning streak. Despite a determined early challenge from competitor Roy, who pushed an unprecedented fast pace from the start, Shorey’s signature clinical precision and years of experience proved unbeatable. Working at blistering speed with barely a pause to catch his breath, he skinned his catch in a new event record time, successfully retaining his championship title.

    The technical competitions concluded with the Flying Fish De-boning contest, a tribute to the specialized skill required to prepare flying fish – Barbados’ national dish – for traditional recipes. This year, seasoned veteran Jackie Norgrove once again outperformed every competitor in the field, securing her fifth career win at the festival, with her first win stretching back to 2012. When asked about her impressive 14-year winning streak, which includes titles in 2012, 2013, 2018, 2025, and now 2026, Norgrove brushed off praise, noting that the task is a regular part of daily life for her. “It’s a normal day-to-day thing, so it just comes naturally now,” she said after the win. “It feels very good to take the title again this year.”

    But the undisputed highlight of the entire final day came in the afternoon, with the festival’s legendary Greasy Pole competition – a grueling test of strength, coordination, and collective willpower that pits teams against each other to scale a 30-foot wooden mast heavily coated in grease, with the winning team claiming a prize waiting at the top. This year, competitor Joshua Drayton made history when he successfully reached the summit to claim victory for his team. Speaking after he climbed back down to the cheering crowd, Drayton credited his team’s careful planning rather than individual strength for the win. “Teamwork makes the job work easier,” he explained. “Once you’ve got a good team and understanding, you make the job easy. We didn’t just come with a plan; we executed the plan. The strategy was to get a firm foundation, a strong middle, and let the lightest and shortest man go to the top.”

    As golden hour fell over the Oistins jetty and the sun dipped below the Caribbean horizon, the festival closed with live local music, shared feasts of fresh seafood, and community-wide celebrations. For attendees and organizers alike, the 2026 Oistins Fish Festival marked another successful year of honoring the working fishermen and women who have long been the backbone of both Oistins’ community and Barbados’ fishing industry, keeping centuries-old cultural traditions alive for new generations.

  • Fish Festival a resounding success, says organisers

    Fish Festival a resounding success, says organisers

    The 2026 iteration of the beloved Oistins Fish Festival has wrapped up, and event organizers are celebrating it as a marked success, citing tangible improvements across multiple areas of operation compared to previous years. In a closing statement following the conclusion of the multi-day festivities, Israel Mallett, co-chair of the festival organizing committee, shared his positive assessment of this year’s event, highlighting upgrades to both pre-event preparation and on-the-ground execution. Among the most notable advances was a streamlined onboarding and setup process for participating vendors, which ran far more efficiently than in prior editions. Most importantly, the entire festival unfolded with almost no major disruptions or safety incidents, a key milestone for the community-focused gathering.

    Mallett noted that only one minor issue arose over the course of the event: a small vehicle collision that resulted in no injuries to attendees or staff, an outcome the committee counts as a win for event safety. That said, organizers did not dismiss constructive feedback from the public, which included observations that the festival’s atmosphere felt slower or less energetic than in past years at certain points. Rather than dismissing these critiques, Mallett connected the subdued energy to broader economic headwinds currently impacting the country, framing the public input as a valuable asset for future planning. He emphasized that the organizing committee actively welcomes all forms of feedback, as it gives the team clear areas to refine and improve for coming editions of the event.

    “We love criticism. We like to hear from people what their thoughts are, what their feedback is, because those are things that we look to internalise and implement and work on for the years to come,” Mallett explained.

    The co-chair also addressed growing concerns from participating vendors, who have reported declining sales and shrinking profit margins at the festival in recent years. While Mallett confirmed that the organizing committee takes full responsibility for core marketing and promotion of the event to drive attendance, he stressed that driving visitor engagement and sales is a shared responsibility among all stakeholders: event organizers, local fisherfolk, and vendors themselves. He added that the team adopted a new proactive approach to resolving vendor issues in real time this year, pointing to one example where organizers leveraged social media to amplify a struggling vendor’s visibility and attract more foot traffic during a slow period.

    “One of the things we try to do is to work with the vendors. If there’s an issue that we can resolve on the spot, we try to resolve that issue on the spot and if it’s something we can’t resolve on the spot, we take it into our post-mortem and planning,” Mallett said.

    Looking back on his tenure leading the festival’s organizing team, Mallett reflected that his time in the role has been a period of extraordinary personal and professional growth. When he first took on the leadership position, he brought little prior experience planning large-scale community events, but he noted that his outsider perspective and fresh approach have ultimately been an asset to the long-running festival. “It’s been a real experience of growth coming into it,” he said. “I have met a lot of great people through the vendors, the community, the fisher folk… it has been a really expanding experience for me.”

  • Zulu promises elevated experience for Crop Oper

    Zulu promises elevated experience for Crop Oper

    As one of the most anticipated groups taking part in this year’s Crop Over festival, Zulu International is celebrating a major milestone: a full decade of participating in the iconic Caribbean cultural celebration. To mark this 10-year journey, the band has announced that it will pull out all the stops this season to deliver what leadership calls the most authentic, immersive Crop Over experience in the group’s history.

    The promise was made public by Nadesha Fagan, Zulu International’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, during a pair of landmark events held Sunday: the official reveal of the band’s 2024 festival costumes, and the first edition of *Toast*, the group’s new pre-festival garden party. Fagan framed the 10-year anniversary as a point of deep pride for the entire organization, reflecting on how the band grew from a small, ambitious idea into a staple of the annual Crop Over lineup.

    “What started as a simple vision a decade ago has grown into a band widely recognized for its infectious energy, vibrant atmosphere, and commitment to honoring the core of what Crop Over is all about,” Fagan shared during the event. “Celebrating 10 years this season is a really proud moment for every member of the Zulu International family.”

    This year’s official festival theme for the band is “New Dawn”, a title Fagan says carries layered meaning that extends beyond the group’s own milestone. The theme is designed to represent Zulu International’s decade of steady growth, while also mirroring the broader evolution of Crop Over and Caribbean festival culture as a whole, she explained.

    “New Dawn stands for growth, evolution, and stepping into a bold new era — that’s true for Zulu, but it’s also true for our culture that we celebrate every year,” Fagan noted. “This moment feels like the perfect time to embrace that change together.”

    For festival goers joining Zulu International on the road this season, the band has planned widespread upgrades that elevate every part of the experience, from the design of the celebration costumes to on-the-ground service and the overall crowd atmosphere. Fagan emphasized that the entire team has put in extra work to make the 10th anniversary year unforgettable for all participants, regardless of whether they are first-time revelers or long-time Zulu members.

    “Revelers can expect an elevated experience across every single area — stunning hand-designed costumes, improved customer service, and an unmatched, energetic road vibe that you can’t find anywhere else,” Fagan said. “We’re going all out to make this year one for the history books. Whether it’s your first time marching with Zulu or you’ve been part of our journey for years, Zulu is absolutely the place to be this Crop Over.”

    The 2024 Zulu International band will be split into five distinct costume sections for this year’s festival: Diamonds, Kalinago, Emerald, Zulu, and Flora, each with its own unique visual design and thematic styling to align with the overarching “New Dawn” theme.