The City of Hamilton announces that tickets are now on sale for the 2018 Bermuda Fashion Festival, taking place July 8 — 14. Tickets are available on www.ptix.bm.

The Festival is celebrating its 9th year as one of the most highly anticipated events on Bermuda’s social calendar. The Bermuda Fashion Festival is back with a summer installation and is anticipating another exciting week of exceptional fashion at high energy runway shows under the mega tent on Front Street.

The Festival will kick off on Sunday, July 8th with the acclaimed Evolution Retail Show featuring fashions from local retailers. The largest of the three runway shows, Evolution draws crowds of thousands and features retailers from across Bermuda with beautiful models on a 70-foot runway. General admission is free. Reserved seating is $40 with an allocated seating area and access to a private cash bar. VIP tickets are $60 and include a complimentary cocktail reception at 5:30pm with access to a private cash bar, gift bags and reserved premium seating.

The Festival’s Celebrity Golf Classic, sponsored by JetBlue, tees off at the beautiful Turtle Hill Golf Club at the Fairmont Southampton on Tuesday, July 10th. Teams of up to five golfers are invited to sign up by sending an e-mail to golf@bermudafashionfestival.com. Entry fee is $750 per team. Shotgun start is at 8:30am.

The Float Fashion Cruise sets sail on Wednesday, July 11th aboard the UberVida. Enjoy a fun day-cruise through the harbour while mingling with the local and international designers, celebrity guests and international models. A limited number of individual tickets are available for $45 which includes two complimentary cocktails. Boarding time is 10:30am at No. 1 Car Park for the cruise which runs from 11am until 3pm. A Float ticket is included with the purchase of a ‘Passport to Fashion — VIP Experience’.

The International Designer Show hits the runway on Thursday, July 12th and showcases five overseas designers debuting their latest collections to the Bermuda public. Previous designers have included Rebecca Minkoff and celebrity favourite, Michael Costello who returns this year as our featured designer on the runway. General admission tickets are $45. VIP tickets are $60 and include premium reserved seating and a gift bag. A cash bar is available to all ticket holders.

The Local Designer Show takes centre stage on Friday, July 13th and features seven local fashion designers who were all carefully selected for a four-month mentorship programme. These talented Bermudians have been coached by international fashion designers and industry professionals in the lead-up to the Fashion Festival debut of their collections to the public. General admission tickets are $45. VIP tickets are $60 and include premium reserved seating and a gift bag. A cash bar is available to all ticket holders.

The popular Bermuda Fashion Expo will return to Front Street on Saturday, July 14th from 11am — 4pm. The Festival is calling on all interested parties that have a Bermudian-designed or Bermudian-made fashion line to sign up as a vendor and take this opportunity to sell your designs direct to the public. Send an e-mail requesting a vendor application to bdafashionfest@cityhall.bm. The Expo will also feature all of the 2018 local designers featured in the Festival as well as special runway presentations by other designers. This is a free event and open to the public.

The place to be and be seen this year is the finale event — the Festival Gala. On July 14th at the Hamilton Princess, enjoy an elaborate evening rubbing elbows with international guests, models, designers, celebrities and Bermuda’s fashion enthusiasts. The theme is Old Hollywood and the event is not to be missed with exotic decor, signature themed cocktails, a plethora of tantalising nibbles and live music that will keep the dancing going all night long. Tickets are only $99.

The Festival offers two different Passports to Fashion. The Runway Tour Passport ($130) affords you reserved seating at the Evolution Retail Show and general admission to the International and Local Designer Shows. The VIP Experience Passport ($210) will grant you access to VIP reserved seating at all three runway shows as well as a ticket aboard the Fashion Float Cruise. The Celebrity Golf Tournament and Fashion Gala tickets are not included in the Passports. Limited Passports are available.

All Festival tickets are available on www.ptix.bm.

The Bermuda Fashion Festival is sponsored by Maybelline, L’Oréal, JetBlue, iHope Global Advertising, Evian, the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club and Great Sound Lighting & Audio Visual.

More information and details of each event can be found on the Festival website -www.bermudafashionfestival.com. Any questions regarding the Festival may be directed to bdafashionfest@cityhall.bm.

• Press release from City of Hamilton