Cayman Pirates Week a Cayman Must!

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 Cayman Islands Pirates Week Festival


Pirates Week 2015 will start on 12 November and finish on 22 November.  Eleven fun filled days with music, street dances, competitions, games, wonderful local food and drink, kids day, glittering parade, sports events for everyone,

There will be Heritage Days, pirate invasion and fireworks galore!  Just too much going on for you to miss out. The Heritage Days are some of my favorites events to experience Cayman culture.  This picture is of the Bodden Town district youth demonstrating how to blow into the conch shell to produce a loud horn like sound. When you go to the various Heritage Days you truly get to embrace and understand the unique qualities of each district and the culture we have grown to love.






Each district show cases some of the best local food favorites. This is where you can taste and enjoy great Caribbean cuisine  I have seen cooking demonstrations on how to prepare spicy pepperpot and fried conch. Many locals have their version of Jamaican-inspired jerk chicken. They love their turtle stew,  fresh conch and they are masters at preparing local fish.

Below East End Heritage Day celebration with Little Miss Cayman Island 





The Hot Steel Drum Competition 





You must go see the steel band competition! It kicks off  the parade. Friday night the festival goes off with a bang with a spectacular fireworks display that you will not want to miss! The fireworks display is some of the best I have ever witnessed! With the crowning of the Festival Queen and the opening Street Dance and Food Festival on that night, there is no better place to be in the Caribbean.


On the first Saturday they have a mock ‘pirate invasion’ from the sea! Two old-time sailing vessels, loaded with pirates make a Saturday surprise landing at the bowl-shaped George Town harbour with the pirates capturing the Governor. Thousands of people line the streets to watch the spectacle and its all good-natured fun with a new twist every year. Families just love it. It's the only event of its kind in the Caribbean region.



I bring many of the Pirates and wenches to Grand Cayman via Delta Airlines. They are a fun group of men and women. While the days of plundering ships off Cayman shores did not last long, the islands continue to attract modern-day buccaneers from far and wide. Every year I try to find safe places on the plane for their precious pirates hats. Some 'pirates' I see every November. The Seattle Seafair Pirates have 'invaded' George Town for years. Along with their general swashbuckling and mayhem, what folks do not know is that they go to hospitals, schools and kids camps to tell stories and bring smiles to many, not to mention they love to entertain children during their 'siege'.

Many of the Pirates are involved in the famous turtle release, which  happens during the festival week. It is amazing to watch the turtles of all sizes and ages be released into the ocean. The Turtle Farm hatchery egg collection for the last two years was 27,500 eggs, and over 31,000 yearlings have been released so far up to today. All ages line up with cameras to watch folks bring a turtle to the ocean edge and watch them joyfully re unite with nature and their natural environment.



Kids Love Pirates Week!



Families can feel at home in just about any activity during Pirates Week, but some events are specifically tailored for the underage set. A children’s pirate costume competition, a party just for teens, the Children’s Fun Fair at Pedro Castle and the circuit race downtown for those 12 and under, all ensure the little ones are part of the fun. Add to that the fantastic fireworks displays over the harbour, the street dances, the ongoing food bonanza, and parents can rest assured their tiny buccaneers will get all the swashbuckling out of their systems before passing out in true pirate fashion each evening.



This video reflects the joy and smiles of many little buccaneers.  Cayman Pirates Week is family friendly and filled with pirate fun and memories. There is daily non stops out of Atlanta with Delta Airlines. Check out www.passengerpicks.com for more details or www.piratesweekfestival.com/

Come  join me this year! AARR!

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