Archive for the ‘Attractions’ Category

Tiger Woods will not play in the 2008 PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda after being forced to withdraw from the remainder of the PGA Tour season. Just days after winning the US Open and qualifying for the tournament, Woods announced that he will shortly be undergoing reconstructive knee surgery and will be need time for rehabilitation.

The news comes as a big blow for Bermuda who had hoped to bring the star to the island. Woods qualified for the event last year, the first time it had been held in Bermuda, but withdrew for personal reasons.

The PGA Grand Slam of Golf tournament will be held at the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda on October 14 – 15 2008. Tickets are available from www.pga.com.

Fort St Catherine will close this weekend for repairs and improvements. It is expected to reopen in mid-June.

The Bermuda Historical Society Museum has closed for upgrades and will reopen in March. The existing collection will be enhanced by new exhibits that reflect the history of all segments of Bermudian society. The museum has been criticised in the past for focusing on the history of the island’s white population.

The Bermuda National Trust has a new leader. Bermudian Jennifer Gray will take over the role of Executive Director in January next year. She replaces Derrick Morris who resigned in October after just 9 months in charge.

The Department of Tourism’s Movies on the Beach event makes a welcome return tonight. A giant screen at Horseshoe Bay will show a series of top movies over the next 4 days. The schedule is Into the Blue (Aug 30, 8.15pm), Casino Royal (Aug 31, 9.05pm), Pirates of the Caribbean (Sep 1, 10pm), The Holiday (Sep 2, 10.30pm). Admission is free.

Singer-songwriter Heather Nova will headline a free concert at Astwood Park on Saturday August 25. Other acts lined up for the ‘Picnic in the Park’ include reggae band Jahstice, Olybhosh, Ras Georgis, Flookie and local DJs. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring a blanket to sit on and a picnic.

The event runs from 3 pm to 9 pm and is being organised by the Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST).

Premier Ewart Brown announced that Earth, Wind and Fire will headline the final night of the Bermuda Music Festival later this year. The full line up is now: Oct 3 – O’Jays (Fairmont Southampton), October 4 – Lionel Richie (National Sports Centre), October 5 – Smokey Robinson/Natasha Bedingfield (National Sports Centre), October 6 – Earth, Wind and Fire (National Sports Centre).

Bermuda’s annual Non-Mariners Race will take place at Mangrove Bay in Sandys Parish on Sunday August 5 from 1.15 pm onwards.

The object of this boat ‘race’ is to lose in the most astonishing fashion. In fact the organisers, the Society of Non-Mariners, prefer to refer to it as a non-race.

The starting line up sees a ragtag mob of inebriated non-mariners massed onboard a clutter of unseaworthy vessels. Each shabby construction typically has a theme that reflects some local political scandal that tourists will be blissfully unaware of.

The event, which started over 3 decades ago, has a rich historical legacy. A drunken bunch of men discussing the possibility of sailing baby buggies attempted to bring their blurred vision into reality in Hamilton Harbour. Thus the Society of Non-Mariners was born. The ‘race’ grew in popularity and became an annual event in Hamilton Harbour. After an abandoned British Royal Navy entry almost collided with an incoming cruise ship, the ‘organisers’ were forced to find an alternative venue. Since then, the Non-Mariners race has been hosted by Sandys Boat Club in the quieter surroundings of Mangrove Bay.

After the event the ‘competitors’ and spectators usually retire to the Somerset Country Squire to celebrate their loss.

Acts for the Bermuda Music Festival 2007 have been announced. Headliners include Smokey Robinson, Lionel Ritchie, and Natasha Bedingfield. The 3-day event will take place October 3 to 6 and will move from its usual home at Dockyard to the National Sports Centre. Tickets are available from Sound Stage in the Washington Mall and start from $50.

The Association of Canadians in Bermuda will be holding their annual Canada Day celebrations at Chaplin Bay beach tomorrow (June 30). The event runs from 12 to 5 pm and includes an official welcome and singing of the national anthem at 1.30 pm and a children’s sandcastle competition at 3.30 pm. Other activities planned include volleyball, tug-of-war and limbo competitions. All are welcome.