There aren’t many places in Cayman where one can find four sound stages offering an eclectic mix of musical performances, drama, theatre, poetry, fashion, dance and film for six hours. However, each year the Red Sky At Night multi-cultural arts fair presents multiple stages for local artistes and performers to showcase their talents while surrounded by dozens of fine artists and artisans displaying their creations of locally made art, crafts, jewellery, clothing and accessories. Local food vendors in Café Cayman will also be plying attendees with dishes such as Cayman style beef, fish rundown, stewed conch and lobster and desserts including pepper jelly, coconut treats, heavy cakes, ice cream and doughnuts.

This year Red Sky at Night will take place on Saturday, 29 February from 4pm to midnight on the grounds of the Harquail Theatre. Produced by Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF), the popular fair is the anchor event for Cayfest, the Cayman Islands National Festival of the Arts.

Festival goers will be able to choose from the Harquail Theatre Main Stage, the outdoor Moon Stage, the intimate Studio Theatre setting and the Caymanian Village where some performances will start from as early as 4pm. Featured performers this year at Red Sky are Swanky Kitchen Band (Moon Stage), Quincy Brown (Studio and Harquail Mainstage), poet Leonard Dilbert (Harquail Mainstage), and the Proud Thespian Theatre Company (Studio). Other musical acts for the night include Regeneration Band (Moon Stage), Erica Assai (Moon Stage), Bona Fide (Moon Stage) and the Cayman Islands Folk Singers (Harquail Mainstage and Caymanian Village) while the Cayman Islands National Dance Company, Dreamchasers and the Philippines Dancers are among the groups that will perform on the Harquail Mainstage.

“I am looking forward to another beautiful night at Red Sky. It is truly a night soaked in Cayman culture that no one should miss,” said Pam Parsons, who attended the 2019 event. “Last year, the crafts, live music, performing arts and food was just a perfect blend of our island’s fabric, and it was great to see residents from all walks of life enjoying and embracing our culture.”

Those attendees looking for unique local gifts and treasures will have lots of opportunities to spend money on the Thatch Walk and Coconut Grove which feature 50+ artisan booths selling everything from paintings, oils, soaps and jewellery to sculptures, clothing, woodwork, calligraphy prints, ceramics and photos. The Creative Kids area will provide supervised activities and specialty food for kids ages three to 12 and there will also be stargazing along Astronomical Way if the skies are clear.

Back again for only the second year year is the Caymanian Village where artists, crafters, storytellers and performers will recreate Cayman’s rich cultural traditions. There will be live demonstrations of them going about doing ‘old time tings’ such as household chores, playing outdoor games, cooking on a caboose, coconut grating, needlework, thatch plaiting, playing music, dancing, farming, boat building, net making and woodworking. Visitors to this area will also be able to play traditional games like dominoes or warri, enjoy quadrille and maypole dancing and hear the folk singers perform.

Tickets for Red Sky At Night are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (65+) and students ages 13 to 17 and $5 for children 12 and under and are available for purchase online at www.eventpro.ky or at the gate on the day of the event starting at 3pm.

For more information about Cayfest email [email protected], call 949.5477 or visit www.artscayman.org.

The Cayman National Cultural Foundation

For more than 30 years, the non-profit Cayman National Cultural Foundation has carried out its mission of stimulating, facilitating and preserving Caymanian cultural and artistic expression. CNCF has achieved this through the extensive development of wide-ranging programmes. These programmes include stage productions, creative education for young people, free workshops and financial support of artists, as well as festivals, publications, national recognition of artistic and cultural achievement, the preservation of Caymanian heritage, and the promotion of arts and culture for future generations.