Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2019 | Page 194
Cayfest 2019
Red Sky At Night March 2nd, 2019.
Cayfest, the Cayman Islands National Festival
of Arts, is an annual celebration hosted by the
Cayman National Cultural Foundation which
showcases the cultural diversity and artistic talent
that exists in the community. The three signature
events which take place during Cayfest are the
National Arts and Culture Awards, Dress For
Culture Day and the Red Sky at Night festival.
The National Arts and Culture Awards
ceremony recognises those who attain a level
of merit in their artistic discipline, and who
contribute to the arts, culture and heritage of
the Cayman Islands. Awards are also presented
for Volunteer of the Year, Sponsor of the Year and
the Chairman’s Award for outstanding long-term
support of CNCF’s work. The awards ceremony is
a CNCF initiative that began in 1990. Each year
there is a call for nominations from cultural and
heritage organisations, and also from the general
public.
Dress For Culture Day is CNCF’s annual ‘dress
up, dress down’ fundraiser. Each year schools,
businesses and individuals across the Cayman
Islands are invited to get creative and display
their homeland pride and cultural attire on one
day. Apart from raising cultural awareness and
celebrating diversity, the monies collected via
donations from the participants in Dress for
Culture Day are allocated to various CNCF youth
programmes including Young Image Makers,
Young at Arts Theatre Intensive and the CNCF
Summer Arts Camp.
Red Sky at Night is the anchor event for Cayfest
and is a favourite of participants and attendees
alike. Each year patrons are treated to live
performances from musicians, dancers, actors
and storytellers, as well as displays of creative
work by visual artists and crafts people, all on
the grounds of the F.J. Harquail Cultural Centre.
Visitors revel in a sensory filled experience at
this multi–disciplined arts fair, as the sounds of
steel pan, fiddle and drums, and the aroma of
mouthwatering local culinary delicacies waft on
the night air.
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