Sint Maarten / Saint Martin - Special Events

Over the years, a number of events in the field of culture, agriculture, sports and arts have increasingly attracted the attention of residents and visitors to our friendly Caribbean island. Those events show the efforts by the local community in order to diversify and promote our culture and lifestyle. They are by now organized yearly, so let us introduce some of them to you.   The Annual Agricultural Fair, usually taking place in February is a delight for nature lovers and people interested in healthy bio food. Organized by the Association "We Agree with Culture", this annual event shows that, thanks to the "Solidarity Ras Tafari, St. Martin's people can now by fresh fruit and vegetables grown on the island. The idea behind it is to make us less dependant on imports, to revive the agriculture on the island and to create employment through the land. During the event, visitors had the opportunity to by and discover fresh crops and plants, taste some home-made food, buy some local art and craft and dance through the evening. We may have to wait for the next Agricultural Fair, but by now,many of us already enjoy their great fruits and veggies! For those interested in fresh products from the land, the Association is located shortly before Bellevue on the French side,, on the right side coming from Cole Bay.

"Art in the Park", the yearly Local Arts and Crafts Fair, took place middle of January at Emilio Wilson Park in Dutch St. Maarten. The lovely park is put at the disposal of local artists and crafts maker, and the public pays 1 USD entrance fee as a donation for the maintenance of the Park.
	This is a great event to admire and buy painting, pottery, jewelry, clothes and handicrafts, made by local artists. A calypso band, local food and refreshing drinks is all you need to spend a few entertaining hours in the shade of the beautiful trees of the Park. Do not miss it next year!

On the 3th of March 2010 started the most important sports event in St. Maarten/St. Martin: The 30th edition of the Heineken Regatta, lasting for four days, attracted 237 sailing yachts, competing in 19
	categories. And although the weather was quite rainy on Sunday, the races were as exciting as ever, giving the participants the chance to show that they are among the best in the world. The Heineken Regatta has now become one of the most famous sailing regatta in the Caribbean, attracting more visitors every year. Of course, this also has to do with the big parties organized around the races at Philipsburg, Port De Plaisance, Marigot and Kim Sha Beach, with great artists animating euphoric party nights!
	Hunderts of people assisted on the 11th of April a very special event. Under the theme "Spanish Fiesta", the owner of Lucky Stables at the Seaside Nature Park in St. Maarten presented an authentic Andalusian Horse Show. The owner learned about this famous show in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain and decided to
bring it to St. Maarten, making this show unique in the Caribbean. A Flamenco guitare player and Flamenco dancer Paula added another touch of authenticity to the event. And to make it even more Spanish, there were sangria and tapas and even a free wine tasting. the public was delighted and spent a wonderful day along the beach of the park. Lucky Stables plans to extend the horse show and present it several times a year. The second edition took place at the beginning of December and the n ext one is already planed for March or April 2011. We will keep you informed!

	On the 2nd of May, the traditional Fish Day took place once again in Cul de Sac on the French side of St. Martin. More than 10.000 people enjoyed a fresh fish lunch at the approx. 40 restaurants build up for the occasion. Several music groups and dance schools
performed until late in the evening. The public could also buy fresh fish and handicrafts. Once again, Fish Day was a great success for local residents and visitors alike. An event not to miss next year!

 

Coors Light/Captain Oliver's Regatta has quickly become the second important sailing regatta in St. Martin, and this year's 6th edition brought together a 25 boat fleet, with boats sailing in 7 classes.
	Center of the regatta was Captain Oliver's Hotel,Marina and Yacht Club in Oyster Pond. The first day - 15th of May - took the boats around the island, while the second day the race took place in the St. Barth's Channel. With a wind up to 25 knots, the sailing conditions were ideal, but rough seas represented a challenge for the participants: an opportunity for them to show their high skills, proving that definitively this is a regatta that has to be taken seriously. During the regatta a cozy but stylish entertainment program kept sailors, sponsors and public
happy. A cocktail on Friday night and a dinner on Saturday with the presence of the Hooter's Girl gave everybody the opportunity to have fun, while the awards ceremony took place during the lunch/brunch on Sunday, this time, with beautiful Platinum Girls handing over the awards and the well deserved bottles of Champagne.
Recently a newcomer in the world of Caribbean regattas, the Coors Light/Captain Oliver's Regatta has shown what can be achieved in a short time with dedicated people like Captain Oliver and his crew. We look forward to next year's regatta, which certainly will attract an increasing number of skippers to Oyster Pond in St. Martin!

 

 

Heritage and culture made for an impressive display at the 6th Boardwalk Mas that took place in Philipsburg on May 16th. With 40 groups and individual participants, this cheerful parade is growing more popular from year to year and reflects the true traditions of St.Martin, our Caribbean island.
	Local dance school's kids and Caribbean beauty queens, moko jumbies and traditional costumes produced a brilliant display of St. Martin's historic culture. Traditional drums, conch shell blowers, comedians and all kind off masked street artists joined cultural and folkloric groups. Especially impressive were the groups wearing traditional attire like head wraps and umbrellas, as well as the great talent of Caribbean people in music and dance. And although modern life has long time ago invaded our Caribbean region,this parade was
a great occasion to remember and revive the most beautiful aspects of our island's traditional culture. An event not to be missed in the coming year!

 

 

together Gerard Jadotte from Haiti, Lori Tharps from the USA, Christian Campbell rom the Bahamas, Lasana M. Sekou of St. Martin, Philip Nourbese of Canada, Verene Shepherd from Jamaica, Raphael Confiant from Martinique, Carolyn Cooper of Jamaica, Gerard Hunt from St. Martin and more personalities from the world of literature. During three days, the public was invited to check out and buy books, discuss with famous authors, listen to poetry and take part in workshops and panel discussions. The Book Fair ended with the presentation of the new

book by St. Martin writer Lasana M. Sekou, with the title "Nativity", published in English, French and Spanish. The fair was a great opportunity for people to discover our Caribbean literature and to reflect about the notion of Caribbean identity. And, it is another example of St. Martin's increasingly reach cultural life!

The Bill Fish Tournament is one of St. Martin's major sportive event. This years 13th edition, organized by Calypso Event from the 2nd to the 6th of June, brought together 20 boats in Marigot on the French side of the island, where lots of festivities were organized for the large crowds present along the water front. And the 2002 record was beaten on the first day of the competition, with the Cadisco team bringing back a 809 pound marlin, taking away the prize of 20.000 USD for the biggest fish. A great fishing event, with lots of fun for the public: Rendez-vous next year, maybe for an even bigger fish!