GUIDE TO BARBADOS CROPOVER

Yall, I had the time of my life in Barbados for CropOver 2019. This was my first carvical experience ever and although I planned a lot I also learned a lot while I was there. I’m already a lover of soca music and if felt amazing to be surrounded by people who love soca and love to dance. Y’all Caribbean people actually dance at parties and it’s a complete vibe. Here’s what you need to know about Barbados Crop Over. If you are Bajan feel free to chime in in the comments and leave your tips as well. 

WHERE TO STAY

Christ Church seems to be the best and most central area to stay in and is quick and convenient to everything. I stayed in an Airbnb in Rockley Golf Course and it was a quick 10-15 minute ride to just about everything including the beach. I had a friend who stayed at Chateau Blanc for $87 a night who had an amazing room right on the beach and right next to a delicious restaurant with beach access happy hours. I’m definitely staying there the next time I visit. 

FLIGHTS

Book em in advance. I kinda waited to the very last minute and ended up spending about $1100 for a round trip flight on JetBlue. Your flight and costume if you choose to play mas or jump with a band with be the two most expensive things. It’s about a 4-4.5 hour plane ride from New York City. Smooth sailing. 

MONEY

The exchange rate is pretty amazing for dollars to BDS. Dollars are basically doubled. So $10 = 20 Barbadian dollars. On average a meal from KFC in Barbados is like 30 bajan dollars or $15. For a 10 Day Trip I took about $450 and that lasted almost the whole trip for buying food and paying for taxis. But keep in mind a lot of the parties and brunches I attended where all inclusive with food and drinks. 

FETE PLAN ACCORDINGLY

Look the parties are plenty and nurmerous. Schedules go up a few months in advance so you can plan accordingly. I wouldn’t recommend more than 3 a day if you are over the age of 30. It’s just too much lol. Some parties I really enjoyed are listed below:

Revive Brunch @revivebrunch – Was definitely the best brunch party of Crop Over 2019. I thoroughly enjoyed the music, the food and the vibes. The venue, Cin Cin by The Sea was stunning and overlooked the ocean. Everyone really goes all out for this brunch and pump wearing their best outfits. 

Mimosa Experience @mimosaexperience — This was my favorite fete of Crop Over 2019. Yes it started at 7am and it was so hot my eyelashes were sweating but they had a ton of food and drinks and it was all inclusive. The music was amazing and I dancing my weave ponytail right outta my head yall. It was totally worth it. 

Touchdown Bim @touchdown.bim — Seriously straight off the jump jet, I got dressed and headed to this first party of Crop Over. The vibes were mellow and the drinks were flowing. After my 4th Rum Punch, I was dancing barefoot in the sand and loving every minute of it. 

Limerz Cruise — Okay so I didn’t actually cruise with Limerz, I was on a private yacht chartered my Only Champions @onlychampions_ but we pretty much cursed with them and had the best time on the yacht with hookah and a delicious meal consisting of steak, veggies and never-ending champion. I even jumped off and had a swim in the ocean. Afterward we were jetskiied to the beach for the Limerz Beach Party and that my friends was a good ass time. 

MEDZ Events — I really loved this party for the location. The venue was really beautiful and everyone was dressed in their best beach gear and party dresses. I enjoyed the music too. 

JOUVERT with CAESARS ARMY — Hands down the best part of Crop Over 2019 for me was jouvert with @ceasarsarmy. I had the time of my life dancing from 2am-8am in the morning to all my favorite soca music, with drinks flowing and paint and powder being thrown. It was simply amazing to dance as the sun came up over the tall grass and seeing everyone covered in paint and powder and just happy. I LOVED IT! The food served that morning was so delicious. Everything was super well planned and went off so smoothly. The hours of dancing just floated by. Time stood still. I meet so many cool people. I will never forget jouvert with Caesars Army. But make sure you get you pack extra early because it was hell waiting in line to pick up my gear. 

PLAY MAS

I’d recommend jumping with any band your friends are with for Kadooment. I jumped with Krave The Band and went through Only Champions to get my Costume and VIP Ticket. I actually really loved being on the VIP Truck. It came with unlimited drinks and a meal that had lobster yall. LOBSTER on a VIP TRUCK! It was amazing. Also it was nice to have a place to go if I didn’t feel like walking the entire road or if it was too hot and I needed to sit and rest. That truck was a God-sent. With that being said I’m not sure if I’d jump with Krave again. They have a history of being last to cross the stage meaning you are standing and waiting in the sun or pouring rain for up to 5-6 or more hours before you even hit the stage and start to jump on the road. It rained for 30 minutes straight and after waiting for hours I left the procession to cross the stage and got on the VIP truck instead. I think next time I’d jump with a different band, although I loved their costumes. I just hate waiting and it was too much.

WHAT TO PACK

Head on over to my Packing For Barbados Crop Over 2019 Video on Youtube to see what I packed. If you’re looking for great shoes for your costume for the road head straight to Amazon. They have an amazing array that you can through away after wearing. Head to carnivalista.com for amazing tights, stockings and extras for your costume. For Jouvert you will get a pack with a shirt and a few other things. My pack came with a t-shirt, a scully and goggles. You will want to wear something you don’t care about including shoes because you will be covered in paint and powder. Including your hair. Pack a lot of freakem dresses, beach coverups, flat sandals and bathing suits. And for the love of God do not forget the sunscreen. Barbados sun hits real different. There has to be some protective Ozones missing around that island. 

GET INTO SOCA

If you don’t like Soca, stay home. Go ahead and get up to date on the latest music so you can dance and have a good time. Luckily I knew the top 10 songs that were played at every single fete. Here’s a link to my #ButFirstCoffee Soca + Afro Beats Playlist. Surprisingly I heard a lot of afrobeats at Crop Over as well. 

That’s all I got for now but y’all I had an amazing time. Barbados is beautiful and the people are so kind and generous. I’ll definitely be back soon. 

xx

Monroe