Heritage Days maintain local culture

Pirates Week in the Cayman Islands has evolved from a modest affair to a full-blown festival stretching over all three islands over a couple of weeks.

Pirates Week 2019 will start in Cayman Brac on Friday 1 Nov, move on to Grand Cayman on Thursday 7 Nov and finish up Friday 17 Nov in Little Cayman. It promises to be another 11 fun filled days of piracy and celebration of our culture and heritage. The festival draws over 35,000 attendees each year, transforming the islands into a mass of colour and revelry.

Apart from the usual parades, games, live music, sporting events, performances, and fireworks to enjoy, the Heritage Days in Grand Cayman’s five districts are ideal opportunities to highlight Cayman culture.

The District Heritage Days are an important aspect of the overall festival and schools are encouraged to arrange field trips for youngsters to learn how their ancestors worked, played and even worshiped. These individual district days also offer some of the best opportunities to see and purchase Caymanian craft work and local food and desserts, as well as the brilliance of local musicians.

Each district committee celebrates their unique traditions, artefacts, food and people. This is a competition to find the overall District Heritage Day winner and give them bragging rights for an entire year.

East End was the first district to showcase its uniqueness last year. Volunteers re-thatched an old-time, outside kitchen, gave a stage a fresh coat of paint, and spruced up the East End Heritage Field.

They had displays, artefacts, memorabilia and booths and demonstrations throughout the day.

It also featured skits by East End primary school students, a kids’ corner, and plenty of food, including local favourites, such as conch and crab dishes, as well as hot dogs, candy and snow cones for younger palates.

All organised by Pirates Week Executive Director Melanie McField who believes that combining the festivities over two weeks across all three islands allows for more participation in all the festivities.

District Days dates are:

• Tuesday, 12 Nov - East End

• Wednesday, 13 Nov - West Bay

• Thursday, 14 Nov - North Side

• Friday, 15 Nov - Bodden Town

• Saturday, 16 Nov - George Town

Overall, the Pirates Week Festival is the fantasy festival that offers a perfect opportunity to play dress-up and simultaneously experience the true culture of the people of the Cayman Islands.