Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine July 2018 | Page 692

Tobago Heritage Festival
Mid-July to August 1
The Tobago Heritage Festival is the most
anticipated event on Tobago’s cultural
calendar, running for two weeks from mid-July
to August 1. It is the premier cultural event
on the island, with a new theme every year.
What event gives you the chance to be part
of a 18th-century-style wedding procession,
listen to lively storytelling, sample Tobagonian
delicacies, get the inside scoop on obeah, and
jig to the rhythms of tambrin drum and fiddle?
Why, the Tobago Heritage Festival, of course!
Drag yuh bow, Mista Fiddla!
Started in 1987, this festival is dedicated to
preserving the cultural traditions of the people
of the island. In addition to the opening and
closing nights, the productions take you to
different villages for dances, food, music,
storytelling and other traditions.The festival
serves not only as entertainment, but a way
of teaching and passing on communal values
and customs. Each village produces an event
showcasing the island’s unique traditions. The
action moves nightly from village to village,
with communities presenting local traditions of
dance, drama, music, storytelling and food.
Typical presentations are the Ole Time
Tobago Wedding in Moriah, Folk Tales and
Superstitions in Golden Lane and Les Coteaux,
Games We Used to Play, Salaka Feast and
Invocation Dance.
Moriah wedding, pictured here is a re-
enactment of what weddings on Tobago were
like in days of old. Click here for a colourful
description of the Ole Time Weding in Moriah.
Excerpts taken from: © MEP Publishers Tobago festivals & holidays | Discover Trinidad & Tobago and www.tobagoheritagefestival.com
Photo Credit: www.tobagoheritagefestival.com