If you thought Barbados was all about sandy beaches, crystal blue water, and tropical drinks under the sun, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn differently. Barbados is an island of diverse pleasures, including the "sport of queens": horse racing. And every spring, the people of Barbados gather together for a weeks-long festival celebrating one of the most popular races in the sport, the Barbados Gold Cup.

The Barbados Gold Cup Festival is truly a unique event. It is the marquee horse race in the Caribbean as well as a highly anticipated cultural celebration. With six nights of outstanding entertainment by New York Broadway performers, and a host of events during the following week, the Gold Cup Festival is a blend of the very best in local and international entertainment.

This festival mixes the very essence of Barbadian culture with the performing arts of other countries providing an entertaining series of activities beginning usually in mid-February and culminating with that most exciting of horse races - The Sandy Lane Gold Cup - around the first week of March.

A note to tourists interested in coming to Barbados for this event: there is a strict dress code enforced, no shorts, t-shirts or open shoes. Trousers and a collar shirt for men, elegantly casual for ladies. Children under the age of 16 are not permitted. Admission on the Sandy Lane Gold Cup Day is noramlly $60 Barbados, yet may fluctuate from year to year.