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Zoo Regatta
Usually held in mid-January. The best teams from all over the world compete in this regatta on Sun Fast 37 yachts. Parties, sporting events, spectacles, and childrens' activities abound on Gosier beach to continue the celebration. See Web site for dates: www.zoo-regatta.com (French only)
Carnival
Traditionally starts the first Sunday in January and runs through Ash Wednesday. Music everywhere, costume and singing contests, dance marathons... the streets of Guadeloupe come alive for this yearly celebration.
Cocoa Festival “Saveur Cacao”
In Vieux-habitants, the 3rd week end of April. An exhibition where you can buy all kinds of chocolate products, guided visits of coffee plantations, tastings, and more.
Tour de Guadeloupe regatta
April 1-5, 2010. Sail boats depart from Gosier and pass by Marie-Galante, Deshaies, and les Saintes before returning to Gosier. Zouk music and ti-punch are offered every night!
Marie-Galante Blues Festival (French only)
May 20-24, 2010. A mix of big names and local acts.
Slavery Abolition celebration
May 27. Cultural and athletic celebrations all over the archipelago commemorate the abolition of slavery in 1848.
Festival de la Guadeloupe
Music, foklore, gastronomy, and traditional celebrations from the beginning of July to the end of August.
Fete Nationale
July 14. Bastille Day, Guadeloupe style! Official ceremonies, military parades, and more.
Fete des Cuisinieres
Held each year in mid-August, this is one of Guadeloupe's most colorful celebrations. Women cooks parade through the streets wearing Creole garb and carrying cooking utensils. Upon reaching the cathedral, they are blessed by the bishop.
Chanté Nwel and Noël Kakado
November 30 to December 25, 2009
The Chanté Nwel are traditional Christmas carols of the French West Indies, which stray at times from strict religious tradition. Throughout the period of Advent, in practically every commune, villagers get together on weekend evenings to celebrate the approach of Christmas with singing. Gathered around the kakado crib (named after a small, blackish river crayfish formerly eaten at Christmas), set up in a different place each year, the people sing carols, hand down ancestral traditions and eat traditional dishes.
For further information, contact Vieux Habitants Tourist Office at +33 (0)5 90 98 33 43
Festival de Jazz de Pointe-à-Pitre (Pointe-à-Pitre Jazz Festival)
December 12 & 13, 2009
Both international and local musicians perform in Place de la Victoire for this jazz festival also known as a “crossroads of Creole music.” Workshops, exhibitions and a whole host of activities (including a poster competition) take place during the festival, which each year looks at a different theme.
For enquiries, please call +33 (0)5 90 21 68 90 or +33 (0)5 90 21 68 94
For further information, visit the official Web site of the Festival de Jazz de Pointe-à-Pitre (French only)
Fête des Grands-Fonds (Grands-Fonds Festival) in Grands-Fonds
December 25-31, 2009
This traditional secular village festival takes place every year between Christmas and New Year's around the scattered villages and hamlets of the commune of Grands-Fonds. It lasts several days. It originated with the inhabitants of isolated hamlets visiting each other’s homes to trade, eat, drink and enjoy themselves, in a joyful, sociable spirit. Today, in addition to these spontaneous visits, a fair is held, involving games, group performances, a parade of majorettes, ox races, and a “finest cow” contest. Festivities come to a close on December 31st, which is the liveliest day of the festival.
Route du Rhum
Begins Oct. 31, 2010
A single-hulled boat race that takes place every four years. The race begins in Saint-Malo and finishes in Point à Pitre.
Lionel Richie at the Stadium of Baie-Mauault
Dec. 18, 2009
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