• August 5-6 in Roatan, Bay Islands
The festival is an initiative of the Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT) as part of its strategy to make Honduras the top tourist destination in Central America and “an authentic Central American Caribbean” destination.
Caribfest is designed to be an annual event held every summer on an open air stage. It will feature both traditional and non-traditional Caribbean sounds, including meringue, salsa, soca, reggae, calypso and reggaeton. Organizers hope to put on a show that rivals the Viña de Mar Festival in Chile and Festival de Acapulco in Mexico.
“This initiative wouldn’t be feasible as a business venture,” says Kenia Lima de Zapata, IHT Marketing Director. “That’s why the IHT will play the role of general coordinator, in cooperation with the National Chamber of Tourism and several sponsors.”
Although studies show that Honduras is the best positioned country in the region to call itself the true Central American Caribbean, tourists, especially those visiting Central America, do not yet visualize the region as an authentic part of the Caribbean. The IHT hopes that events like Caribfest will help promote an awareness among travelers of what Honduras has to offer, and create a steady flow of visitors like Viña de Mar and the Festival de Acapulco.
Caribfest will be held at the Coral Cay and Marine Nature Park, which has a capacity for 5,000 spectators (850 seated).
The program will begin at 2pm daily and will continue non-stop until alter midnight, each day featuring more than a dozen artists and groups from Colombia, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Belize, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago,
Invited artists and groups will receive a special honor on behalf of the Honduran government and the participating public.
