The nightlife and entertainment in Barbados is alive with music, bands, festivals, concerts, bars, nightclubs and rum shops. The only thing Bajans love more than just relaxing with friends is a good party or fete, due to the natural vibrancy of our people, shows, performances, plays and dances.

Our Barbados entertainment guide provides limitless possibilities in the realms of entertainment. Calypso, Reggae and Steel pan tend to dominate the local music industry with world-class Barbadian bands such as the internationally renowned Merrymen, Splash Band and Third Stone, as well as the ever-popular Toni Norville Band, all of which still perform regularly at many local venues.

In recent years there has also been a huge rise in the alternative music fields with rising artists like Roadhouse, Driftwould, and a rock group called Substance. Not to mention our very own local Calypsonians, Rupee who has been signed with Atlantic Records.

Barbados has also hosted concerts for international acts such as Alicia Keys, Sir Cliff Richard, Pavarotti, the late Ray Charles, Boyz 2 Men, Bryan Adams and Michael Bolton.

Local shows are very popular with Bajans and tourists alike. More and more hotels are starting to feature cabaret type shows with some extra local flare and these types of shows can be seen at other venues island wide. The Plantation Theatre, for example, has a dinner show as does Harbour Lights Nightclub. These shows tend to feature a lot of local culture like the Limbo dancer, Caribbean dancer, fire eater and stilt men and are accompanied by local bands.

If you would rather, you can put on your own show at any of the numerous karaoke spots across the country. Nightclubs and bars highlight our island paradise with lively music and dancing enjoyed by Bajans and tourists alike. We boast a wide range of nightclubs, some indoors and air-conditioned, some outdoors and rustic, some on the beach and some inland; we even have a couple that float! Some of the nightclubs feature different theme nights including salsa dancing and beach parties. As for bars, entertainment in Barbados is limitless. You can find anything from a local Rum Shop, to an upper crust lounge; most hotels and restaurants have separate bars.

Although most of our bars tend to boast a Bajan ambiance, you can also find Mexican, Irish, Indian, English, and American which include sports bars, and pool halls.

Cricket is the national sport of Barbados and the West Indies. Thousands of Barbadians, other West Indians and visitors flock to world-class matches at Kensington Oval, Barbados to watch batsmen of the calibre of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul as well as fast bowlers such as Tino Best and Pedro Collins.
Barbados is one of the international capitals of cricket and always contributes a large contingent to the West Indies team. Names like Sir Garfield Sobers, the three W’s, Wes Hall, the late Keith Boyce, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge and David Allen come to mind immediately as Barbadians who have contributed greatly to West Indies cricket. Current players include Ian Bradshaw and Corey Collymore.
You can catch a good game of cricket almost any time in Barbados. It could be an international Test Match or One-Day at Kensington Oval, an exciting local First Division match, or a friendly game on the beach, an open pasture or village field. Whichever it is, prepare to cheer as the batsman drives through the covers for four, or as the middle stump gets rocked back by a fast delivery! And at the end of the match join in the joyous celebrations that follow!