What is Crop Over? It is Barbados’ summer festival, a celebration of the end of the sugar cane harvest. It runs from mid-July to early August and builds to a huge costumed parade called Grand Kadooment. Visitors can take part by playing mas (masquerade) in a costume band on Kadooment Day, joining the Foreday Morning street party before it, and shopping at Bridgetown Market. Below we explain where Crop Over came from, what each major event is, and how to plan your first trip.
Ready to plan a group trip? Browse our travel packages or send us a proposal request. We build group packages with hotel, costumes, transfers, and excursions for Crop Over and other Caribbean festivals.
Where did Crop Over come from?
Crop Over began as a harvest celebration. Visit Barbados says the tradition started in 1687 “as a way to mark the end of the yearly harvest.”
The celebrations faded in the 1940s as the sugar industry declined.
The festival came back in the 1970s. The government wanted more international tourists in the summer, and Julian Marryshow of the Barbados Board of Tourism set up a Crop Over Committee to revive it. By 1974, Crop Over was organized as a national festival, and the Decorated Cart Parade was introduced that year.
The National Cultural Foundation was established in 1983 and has produced the festival since. Crop Over was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid-19 health risks.
If you want more on the history of Crop Over, read our guide to Barbados Crop Over.
What is Crop Over like today?
Crop Over is a run of events over several weeks, not a single party. Visit Barbados calls it the biggest festival on the island, with events from mid-July to early August.
Music is at the center. The festival includes the Pic-O-De-Crop calypso competition and the Soca Monarch competition. Bridgetown Market is a shopping event with sweets, treats, crafts, food, and music. Kiddies’ Kadooment is a children’s parade with costumes made by local designers.
The festival then ends with two big days: Foreday Morning and Grand Kadooment.
What is Foreday Morning?
Foreday Morning is a night parade in the early hours that leads into Grand Kadooment. Visit Barbados compares it to J’ouvert in Trinidad and Tobago. Revelers sing, dance, jump, and wave behind decorated trucks playing music, and many cover themselves in mud, powder, and dye. Expect to get messy.
Routes and timing change from year to year, so check the official schedule before you go. The mud, powder, and paint mas on Foreday morning is a more recent addition to the festival.
What is Grand Kadooment?
Grand Kadooment is the final masquerade event of Crop Over. Visit Barbados says it is considered one of the biggest Caribbean carnivals, with over 15,000 people taking part. Routes and start times vary by year, so check the official schedule before you go. Expect elaborate costumes and glitter.
Kadooment Day is traditionally held on the first Monday in August, which would put Grand Kadooment on Monday, August 2, 2027. Our 2027 group trip runs July 29 to August 3. For the schedule as it firms up, see our Crop Over 2027 dates post.
How do visitors join in?
Most first-time visitors take part in one of three ways:
- Play mas in a band on Kadooment Day. You wear a costume and travel the route with a band. This usually takes the most planning, because costumes, transfers, and hotels all have to line up.
- Join Foreday Morning. Visit Barbados describes the street parade as one that visitors can watch or join.
- Explore the rest of the festival. Shop at Bridgetown Market, catch a calypso or soca event, and take in the island between the big days.
Planning from the U.S. with a group means lining up hotel, costumes, and transfers. Our group packages with hotel, costumes, transfers, and excursions are built for Crop Over and other Caribbean festivals.
See our travel packages to compare options.
Plan your Crop Over trip
If you’re deciding whether Crop Over is the right first Caribbean festival, start with the dates and who you are traveling with. Then look at how much of the festival you want to join: the road on Kadooment Day, the Foreday Morning street party, or the market and music events around them.
When you are ready, view our travel packages or request a custom proposal and tell us who is traveling.
Crop Over FAQ
What is Crop Over in simple terms?
Crop Over is Barbados’ biggest summer festival, with events from mid-July to early August. It began as a celebration of the end of the sugar cane harvest and was revived as a national festival in 1974. Today it centers on music, street parties, and a finale parade called Grand Kadooment.
When is Crop Over 2027?
Grand Kadooment is traditionally held on the first Monday in August, which would be August 2 in 2027. Festival events begin weeks earlier, so check the official calendar before booking flights. Our 2027 group trip runs July 29 to August 3.
What is the difference between Foreday Morning and Grand Kadooment?
Foreday Morning is a night parade in the early hours that leads into Grand Kadooment, and participants often cover themselves in mud, powder, and dye. Grand Kadooment is the final masquerade event, the final costumed parade of the festival.
Can visitors take part, or is Crop Over mainly for locals?
Visitors are encouraged to join in. Visit Barbados points to the street parades, Bridgetown Market, and the Foreday Morning and Grand Kadooment processions. If you are coming as a group, our travel packages cover hotel, costumes, transfers, and excursions.
