BVI Spring Regatta

The BVI Spring Regatta (www.bvispringregatta.org), part of the Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle, is one of the premier regattas in the Caribbean, often attracting entries from Europe, North America, and all over the Caribbean. In recent years organizers have tacked a Sailing Festival onto the beginning of the regatta to attract less-experienced sailors who want to make the regatta into a vacation.

The regatta takes place in early April. The regatta village, an open-air area with bars, restaurants, seating, and music, draws a diverse crowd of racers, residents, and landlubbers who come out to soak in the yachty atmosphere.

BVI Music Fest

Held over Memorial Day weekend, the BVI Music Fest (www.bvimusicfest.net) brings popular reggae, R&B, and calypso acts to the BVI. The three-day event usually boasts at least one big-name act. Past headliners have been Jimmy Cliff and Maxi Priest. Admission is usually $20 a night. Traditionally, the fete takes place in Cane Garden Bay, but there has been talk about moving it to a larger venue beginning in 2009.

© Susanna Henighan Potter from Moon Virgin Islands, 4th edition