“Caribbean Week in New York” 2025 — the impactful international business event that’s heavily seasoned with infectious regional culture — will be hosted by the Caribbean Tourism Organization June 1-6 in Manhattan at the Westin New York at Times Square hotel.
Opening with the symbolic blowing of a Caribbean conch shell horn and closing days later with the CWNY’s “Caribbean Cultural Showcase” of performances, cuisines and artistic displays, the week-long event will be filled with meetings and sessions addressing the many economic and sustainable aspects of tourism in the region — under the theme “Caribbean Resilience: Crafting Tomorrow’s Tourism.”
“Caribbean Week in New York is more than a celebration — it’s a strategic convergence of our region’s top minds and markets,” CTO Secretary-General and CEO Dona Regis-Prosper said of the organization’s flagship event in North America for “government officials, travel professionals, diaspora leaders, and Caribbean enthusiasts.”
With tourism being a major source of economic growth and employment for the Caribbean nations, regional support for CWNY 2025 is understandably strong with “The Nature Island” of Dominica and the “Naturally in Rhythm” U.S. Virgin Islands confirmed as Platinum Sponsors for this year’s event.
Also supporting the economic and cultural activities of the CWNY 2025 are Gold Sponsors: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Travel & Adventure Show; Silver Sponsors: St. Kitts, Sandals Resorts International; and this year’s Bronze Sponsors: Anguilla and Barbados.
Visit the Caribbean Tourism Organization website for more information, and the Caribbean Cultural Showcase site for tickets.
Haitian ‘BAYO’ at Barclays
It’s the time of year when Haiti-born producer, DJ, and philanthropist Michaël Brun presents BAYO — an immersive festival celebration of Haitian creativity, culture, and community. This year’s event will be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on June 28, starting at 8 p.m.
BAYO — held last year at the Prospect Park Bandshell — has sold more than 30,000 tickets since its inception and has helped rewrite perceptions of Brun’s homeland and bring the sounds of the contemporary Afro-Caribbean diaspora to an ever-widening audience.
Brun presented a free performance by Brooklyn’s vibrant Plezi RaRa Haitian folk music band at Brooklyn Borough Hall on May 9 as a preview of the BAYO event, the celebration of the May’s Haitian Heritage Month, the commemoration of Haiti’s 1804 independence from France, and Haitian Flag Day on May 18.
Praising Haile & his art
Haile King-Rubie — known for his artistic talent and his penchant for Caribbean culture — was the honored guest last week with a 35th birthday celebration marking his creativity and a display of his “prominent pieces” at the Victoria Restaurant in Harlem’s Renaissance Hotel on W. 125th St.
A proclamation from City Councilmember Gale Brewer was part of a VIP event on May 14 for Rubie, who has Costa Rican and Liberian heritage. Learn more about King-Rubie on his website, hailesimo.com.
