GQ // Scenes from Crop Over, the Festival That Birthed All Those Rihanna Photos
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CROP OVER 2017
What everyone who isn't Rihanna wore to Barbados' Crop Over festival
Every few years, like some sort of solar eclipse, photos of Rihanna adorned in an arrangement of nothing but jewels and feathers grace the internet. In the following weeks, these rare and extraordinary images take over the internet; they are unavoidable, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.
The occasion we have to thank for this semiregular spectacle is Crop Over, Barbados' most popular and colorful festival. Its origins can be traced back to the 1780's, in celebration of Barbados’s sugar cane harvest. Now it’s a week full of events, a medley of food, music, and culture that all lead up to one of the most picturesque scenes you’ll find in Barbados: Grand Kadooment.
People from all over the Caribbean—and, yes, even tourists—join in on Crop Over’s dizzying carnival parade and “jump” with large bands dressed in vibrant and elaborate costumes. It’s a day where everyone gets together to drink rum (it originated in Barbados, remember), whine and vibe to Soca and Calypso music, and celebrate Bajan culture until the sun goes down, and then keep going much much longer after that.