Example Itinerary:
Sunday 08 August
Depart Gatwick to Barbados with Virgin Atlantic, departs 1000
arrives 1345. Upon arrival, transfer to your chosen
accommodation for a 10 night stay.
Monday 09 August
Day at leisure. Tonight, 7-9 pm, team captains and managers are
invited to a cocktail reception at the Banks Hospitality Centre.
Oistins Fish Fry from 7:30 pm
Oistins is a quaint, but lively, fishing village in the south of
the island. Enjoy the fresh catches of the day. The aromatic
flavours of grilled, or fried, fish in coal pots is only matched
by their sensuous taste. You can quench your thirst in the many
Rum Shops that abound in the area. Banks Beer will certainly
be the order of the day and is considered the perfect compliment
to a sumptuous fish dinner.
Tuesday 10th August
Bert's Bar, Rockley from 7:00 pm
The newly renovated and re-branded Bert's Bar on the South Coast
promises to be an excellent warm-up for the Opening Ceremony the
next day. Bert will be on hand to host the event. Banks and Pizza
specials will be the order of the night. The DJs on hand will spin
a variety of tunes, from techno to calypso just to keep the crowd
in good spirits. A local tip is that Bert's is not only known for
their Daiquiris. Their wood-fired pizzas are quickly becoming a
favourite with locals and tourists alike.
Wednesday 11th August
Opening Ceremony from 3:00 pm – 10:00pm
The official opening, of the 23rd Banks Barbados Hockey Festival
takes place. There will be a popular DJ to keep the crowd moving
after all the pleasantries have been completed and all the teams
will be keen to get their Festival off to a flying start, even
without sticks and balls.
A typical Festival includes :
• Opening ceremony with colourful parade of teams.
• Parties arranged by local clubs
• Presentation ceremony and End-Of-Festival Fete
Four competitions for men, women, mixed and men's vets (over 35).
Each has pools of 4 to 6 teams, playing from Monday to Thursday
on the Astroturf and grass pitches. Friday is Semi Finals day
for pool winners; Saturday is Finals Day.
Thursday 12th August from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
10 Day Holiday package starts here
Full Hockey Game Day at the Astro Turf facility
and 9:00 am to 5:00pm at all other grounds. Hangovers or lack of
sleep are no excuse for a poor start to the Festival. Hockey
action hits the venues from early.
Friday 13th August from 7:30 pm
Talent Night at The Ship Inn, St. Lawrence Gap
Talent Night is where teams will showcase capabilities apart from
the difficult art of striking a round, white ball with a stick.
The ability to sing like Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole is great.
However, unless it is accompanied by an original stage
presentation, the team is likely to face the judges - and
audience's - wrath. The action begins with a Happy Hour which
spans 120 minutes (from 5-7 pm) and there is extra time, too, with
an 11-12 pm Happy Hour. In between there will be Banks and other
Drink Specials. As per the Ship Inn norm - "Party can't dun!"
The judging panel will comprise a cross-section of famous Barbadian
sportsmen and entertainers with an eye for the fun factor as well as
talent.
Saturday 14th August from 9:00 am to 11:00pm
Full Hockey Game Day at the Astro Turf facility
"Carry your own key" Bingo night -- a.k.a Karaoke-Bingo
This is the continuation of the hockey liming day with a twist. There
will be Karaoke from 7:00 pm for everyone. This is fun for everyone as
well as well as a competition where we will see, and hear, which team
has the best "Crooners". Obviously the singing pipes will be
cleared using Banks Beer.
Sunday 15th August from 7:00 pm
Blue Bench Bar, Hastings
The off-the-field action continues at the Blue Bench with a liming and
party session. The Bistro & Bar is located in the Hastings area on the South Coast
of the island and has a spacious deck and car park
to accommodate the large hockey crowd.
There will be a fantastic menu served up on the grill
by Alibi Dave (fresh fish, spare ribs, burgers, BBQ
chicken) and a fully-stocked bar where there will
be Drink Specials all night long.
Proprietor Martyn prides himself on the fact that
he has the island's sexiest waitresses, The Blue
Bench girls, who will be hard to turn down when they
offer up their Jello Shots and other exciting blends.
And there will be a DJ mixing up concoctions of his
own, livening up the session with Caribbean rhythms
but not leaving out the visitors with any requests
they might have.
Monday 16th August
Semi-final Day & ”After Work Drinks" from 6:00
pm at the Astroturf Bar.
After the heartache of not making it into the Knockout
Stage of the Banks Hockey Festival, one will need
to either vent or celebrate and the place to be is
the Astro-tuf for the after work lime. It will be
an evening to lime with friends, family, team players
and officials whilst enjoying a drink or two. Again
music will be provided by local DJs.
Tuesday 17th August Finals Day
Astro-Turf Hockey facility
No Hockey explanation needed. This is the Big Day.
After-HockeyParty & Presentation Fete
Is it over, is it really over. Whether you have
some hardware to take home with you or not, this
is the place to say goodbye to your old friends and
your new found friends.
XTRA, XTRA! (for 2011 TBC)
Banks has added a new prize this year.
They have added the Fete Team prize, one for the
Bajans and another one for the Visitors. The Beautiful
Banks Ladies will be at the Social events to judge
the teams. Points will be allocated in various
formats but heavily weighted towards those teams
drinking Banks, of Course. Simple most points at
the end of the week will win the prizes. The prizes
are awesome and will be coveted as much as the
Official tournament hardware.
As always the judges decisions are final BUT who
could argue with any of the lovely Banks Ladies.
Wednesday 18th August
Depart hotels at 1500 hrs for your flight home to
UK with Virgin Atlantic or stay on until 27th of
August.
Thursday 19th or Friday 28th August
Start planning for 2010!
