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).
Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield has signed a Special Development Order allowing Dubai’s Jumeirah Group to build a 5-star hotel at Southlands in Bermuda. The move comes despite significant opposition to the development from the Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce, a citizen’s group that has collected over 3,000 signatures of people against the development.
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.
Effective January 1 2008, Royal Caribbean will prohibit smoking in staterooms and suites on its ships, including those visiting Bermuda (Explorer of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas). One lounge on each ship will also be designated as a non-smoking area.
Passengers will be able to smoke so on starboard outer decks, designated areas in lounges and bars, and on stateroom and suite balconies. Guests smoking in their staterooms will have a cleaning charge added to their onboard accounts.
A new seafood restaurant has opened at the Fairmont Southampton. The beachfront Ocean Club is situated on the site of the old Whaler Inn and specialises in contemporary Asian seafood. The 200-seat restaurant is open daily for dinner from 6 to 10 pm.
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.
The Henry VIII Restaurant and Bar has reopened, almost 5 months after its kitchen was destroyed by a fire. The popular dining spot is located on South Road in Southampton Parish, close to the Reefs and the Fairmont Southampton.