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The Banks Barbados International Hockey Festival was conceptualized by three wise old men 23 Festivals ago in 1986. These men Mike Owen well known hockey aficionado, Tony Cozier well known cricket aficionado and Winsmore Humphrey, then President of the Barbados Hockey Federation, developed and executed the idea of the Festival.
From that point onwards what happened can only be described as awesome, this annual event has attracted teams from all over the world and has now firmly established itself as the biggest and most cosmopolitan in the Western Hemisphere if not the world. It has prided itself on striking the balance between good hockey, good camaraderie and good social events on an island that naturally embodies everything magnificent as a destination for your holiday.
The Festival as it is known, occurs generally during the penultimate week of August and is one of the few Festivals that runs for an entire week. There are games for a minimum of four days and a maximum of seven, depending on how successful your teams are. There are several social events, ranging from parties to parties. Also Barbados in itself has a wide range of activities for all ages, from the many beautiful white sandy beaches, to golf, water parks, animal sanctuaries, island tours, fine dining, shopping and so much more.
From the start Banks Beer, our beer, has been our partner and has worked with us in all Festivals to date. Their multiple-award winning beer is the icing on the cake. Nothing tastes better after a Festival Game! In addition we have received fantastic support from the Barbados Tourism Authority.
Games are played on a combination of grass pitches and Astroturf. There is one waterbased Astroturf in Barbados, constructed in 1996. The number of grass pitches used is determined by the number of participating teams. Generally a minimum of two grass pitches are used along with the astro.
The Banks Barbados International Hockey Festival is run under the direct control of the Barbados Hockey Federation. The Barbados Hockey Federation is a member of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Pan-American Hockey Federation (PAHF). All games are played and governed by the rules of the FIH.