Listen to the Music: The Year's Best Fests
JANUARY
Mustique Blues Festival
Two weeks of the blues – for free! – at Basil's Bar, in the Grenadines.
basilsmustique.com
Jazz Festival
Soul and jazz in elegant venues such as a moonlit park and a former plantation house.
barbadosjazzfestival.com
Jamaica
Jazz & Blues Festival
R&B and reggae acts dominate this Montego Bay fest, which throws in some jazz to earn its name.
jamaicajazzandblues.com
MARCH
Moonsplash Music Festival
Anguilla's Bankie Banx– part Bob Dylan, part Bob Marley – is a colorful Caribbean character, and his four-day beachfront reggae fest is as cool as the man himself.
bankiebanx.net
Tobago Jazz Experience
Enjoy the "Trinbago" musical bounty, from pan to calypso to soca, at outdoor settings across the island.
visittobago.gov.tt
MAY
Calabash International Literary Festival
This Treasure Beach, Jamaica, literary fest offers a hefty side of reggae, with nightly DJ sets and intimate performances.
calabashfestival.org
St. Lucia Jazz Festival
This weeklong festival staged at various venues is one of the longest-running and best-attended in the region.
stluciajazz.org
BVI Music Festival
Artists from Jamaica, Trinidad and the Virgin Islands dominate the beachfront stage at this high-energy fete on Tortola's Cane Garden Bay.
bvimusicfestival.com
Soul Beach Music Festival
Big-name American soul and R&B acts headline this star-studded evening in Oranjestad, Aruba.
soulbeach.net
Rock D Spice Festival
Two nights and one beachside day of Caribbean music at venues located around the isle of Grenada.
rockdspicefestival.com
St. Kitts Music Festival
Reggae artists, gospel singers and soca acts: Headliners at this diverse three-night show in Basseterre run the musical gamut.
stkittsmusicfestival.com
JULY
St. Martin Caribbean Festival
A three-day celebration of zouk, reggae, soca and calypso sung in English, French and patois.
stmartincarnival.com
Reggae Sumfest
A reggae and dancehall marathon that runs from dusk till way past dawn in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
reggaesumfest.com
Bermuda Music Festival
Hamilton's annual soul and R&B fest features some of the biggest names in the genres.
bermudatourism.com
Dominica World Creole Music Festival
A three-day celebration of Creole music From a to zouk on the Caribbean's emerald isle.
wcmfdominica.com
DECEMBER
Cayman Jazz Fest
Here's a fest for folks who want to relax: smooth R&B and cool jazz in a mellow Grand Cayman setting.
caymanislands.ky/jazzfest
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