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Minister for Youth, Sports, Culture & Heritage (MYSCH), Hon. Bernie Bush opened a press briefing with a mock sword fight by Las Tortugas Pirates on Friday 8th July 2022. The press conference for the newly-named Pirates Festivities, scheduled to take place 3 September to 26 November 2022, included Minister for Tourism and Transport, Hon. Kenneth Bryan who lends his support to this national campaign. Both described the many cultural and economic benefits that will result to the Islands as a result of the three-month long celebrations.

These events are a way of supporting Cayman's tourism sector and promoting local vendors, entrepreneurs and a variety of artists. Pirates Festivities 2022 will showcase Cayman's cultural diversity while recognising its piratical history.

Minister Bush outlined the anticipated Pirates Fest events schedule while talking about preserving the best aspects of previous Pirates Weeks, and developing new elements for both residents and tourists. Expanding the campaign to three months, in this year's launch, will give people the chance to attend a number of events, which will highlight and celebrate our Caymanian culture the Islands' deep heritage. With the inaugural Pirates Fest, Minister Bush shared: "This is the start of a process to continuously be built on year to year. We are looking forward to seeing local crafts, local musicians and certainly an endless spread of our local dishes. Reintroducing the district heritage days will also give each district the platform to showcase their uniqueness and we want every single aspect of our three islands to be highlighted," he explained speaking of the family-centered events.  

Promising that more events will be added to the schedule in the weeks ahead, he made a direct appeal for volunteers and sponsors. "To our past sponsors of Pirates Week, although the Government is injecting significant funding, we welcome and want this to be a public private partnership. The team will be reaching out to past sponsors and seeking new sponsors to make this Pirates Fest as good if not better than previous years," he added.

Talking about the new festivities which run through Cayman's low season, Minister Bryan commented that "The Ministry and Department of Tourism are always looking for ways to add new and exciting experiences, which help to level out the peaks and valleys, between the high and low tourist season," and said that "Pirates Festivities provides lots of activities that can appeal to visitors and attract them to our shores." He also spoke of his Ministry and its agencies working with overseas vendors to create enticing packages around the campaign.

"The Ministry of Culture has advised that approximately 160 pirates are already confirmed to visit our shores in mid-November. The Pirates Week Office is also seeing an uptick in inquiries, from families wanting to book their vacations, around the dates that the Pirates Week activities are being held," he added.

MYSCH Events Manager Ventisha Conolly spoke on the strong focus of the forthcoming Pirates Festivities, which will highlight Cayman's unique maritime history while acknowledging the Islands' piratical past. She also talked of the forthcoming events as opportunities to reimagine the historical aspects of that relationship, in partnership with MYSCH's agencies, including the CI National Museum and the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands.

For the most up to date information and Pirates Festivities schedule of events and news, visit www.piratesweekfestival.com

(GIS)