By Rhe-Ann Prescod on October 11th 2022
One step onto the Princess Alice Highway and you were officially welcomed to the Food and Rum Festival Food Truck Mashup by the aroma of delicious street food. Over 25 food trucks and vendors lined the highway and Pelican Village with a variety of food
and drinks for everyone to try. People’s hands were filled with loaded fries from FRII GUYS, tacos from Cocktails and Tacos, wings from Street Eats, and burgers from Bearded Hogs to name a small few. Many were contented and even took a few selfies to showcase how good they were eating. Those craving a sweet treat were seen with a Happy Treats popsicle or ice cream from Churn’s Homemade Ice-Cream. People who wanted cocktails with a little kick flocked to Blasted Cocktails, which were a hit. It is the Barbados Food and Rum Festival, so of course, patrons had rum cocktails from the festival’s official rum sponsor Mount Gay. Did you know that Barbados is the birthplace of rum? Mount Gay Rum is the oldest rum in the world dating back to 1703.
Games and Entertainment
During the day, the early birds were serenaded by the sounds of the Phoenix Steel Orchestra and entertained by the Hyperdrive Team.
As the sunset, the street party started. Some of the island’s favourite soca artists graced the stage and patrons sang along and danced with Lil Rick, Hypasounds, Brucelee Almightee, Biggie Irie, Rhea Layne, Peter Ram, and Mikey. Some patrons felt they had the best bartending skills so joined the mixologists competition, while others tried their luck playing Rum Roulette. To top it off, there was even a surprise cultural parade with dancers, a tuk band and stilt walkers.
Patron Feedback
First-timer, Elise Wilson was pleasantly surprised by how cultural the event was and impressed by the food and atmosphere. Michael Richards loved the setup of the event, cocktails, and entertainment but wished he was able to try food from all the trucks. The event gave Barbados just a small taste of what’s to come during the Food and Rum Festival and left them yearning for more.
Next up is Oistins Under the Stars on Thursday, October 27 th
By Rhe-Ann Prescod