Hundreds of spectators visited the Botanical Gardens under fine skies this afternoon to take in this year’s Gombey Festival.

Bermuda’s heritage was on full display as families and spectators came together on the banks of the Paget park.

Owen Darrell, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, said: “The Bermuda Gombey can be seen everywhere, from postcards to phone books, to T-shirts, fine art and beyond.

“This is a representation of Bermuda culture, and these men behind me and their entire Gombey troupes represent a history of rebellion and freedom.”

This year’s theme, “Gombey Unity”, gathered the island’s troupes and put a spotlight on their individual dances, music and distinctive regalia.

Sticking to the theme, Jarion Richardson, the Leader of the Opposition, and Mark Brantley, the Premier of Nevis, joined other members of government, including Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works.

Alafia Woods, from Paget, said that she came to the event because her two-year-old son, Zayd, loved Gombeys.

She admitted that this was her first time attending the event after the cancellation of last year’s event over poor weather conditions.

Ms Woods added that she was happy to get a taste of the atmosphere and see the performances.

She said: “You see people bringing out their families and it’s very relaxed and something to do in the evening.

“It’s just the typical kind of Bermudian event.”

Dennis Parsons, of Place’s Gombeys, was one of the event’s 2024 honourees, along with Lawrence “Stickers” Hendrickson Jr and his mother, Carolyn Hendrickson, both of H&H Gombeys.

The Hendricksons received posthumous recognitions after their deaths in August 2017 and April 1 this year.

Robert Wilson, of Gombey Evolution Troupe, who was initially set as the cancelled 2023 festival’s honouree, was also recognised.

O’Nea Sharrieff, 47, had been coming to the Gombey Festival for years.

The mother of three said that she brought each of her boys to the event and saw their interests in Gombeys grow over time.

Ms Sharrieff, from Southampton, said that her father used to take her to Gombey dances along Palmetto Road, Pembroke, every Boxing Day when she was a girl.

She added that it felt good to do the same for her children.

“It’s really nice for them to experience,” Ms Sharrieff said. “It’s a cultural thing and it’s nice.”

The Chewstick Foundation also organised a community art project called “Gombeys in the Gardens”, where attendees celebrated Bermuda's culture through art and painting.

For Anna and William Stillwell-Warnock, this was their first time coming to the event — and a deep-dive into Bermudian culture.

The couple said that they moved here from Britain about a year ago and first discovered Gombeys over the summer through Harbour Nights.

They added that when they found out about the Gombey Festival through social media, attending seemed like a no-brainer.

“I like seeing the real Bermuda culture, which is such a contrast from UK culture,” Ms Stillwell-Warnock, 36, said.

“We’re really just trying to embrace that side of us living here now.”

Mr Stillwell-Warnock, 37, added: “It’s an integral part of Bermuda and it’s very important to see.

“We’re supporting it, seeing it and understanding it.

“I remember the first time hearing Gombeys in the street in Hamilton and the drums draw you into seeing them.”

Photo Gallery