Due to the fact that Seychelles
history is a bit on the short side, there aren’t
too many Seychelles festivals of the traditional variety.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t fun Seychelles
festivals that you might be able to work into your travel
plans. Many of the festivals of Seychelles, or Seychelles
events, are tied to the water, taking the form of a fishing
tournament, or even a sailing cup. There are a few Seychelles
festivals that are of particular interest culturally,
and thus they are candidates for the top festivals of
Seychelles. Working special Seychelles events into your
travel itinerary can help to add more depth to your Seychelles
vacation, which is certainly a positive thing. It’s
always a good idea to find out about any local Seychelles
events that might affect your travel plans, and worth
noting too are the various Seychelles holidays.
Since the Roman Catholic religion is the primary religion of Seychelles, most of the country’s public holidays fall on the dates of pertinent religious events. Easter is a particularly celebratory time, and it’s also a peak season for Seychelles travel, so if you want to avoid any crowds as best you can, you might take that into account. Other public Seychelles holidays are based on political events. June 5 is Liberation Day, while June 18 is National Day. Independence Day in Seychelles falls on June 29, and so one might notice that June is a particularly big month for Seychelles holidays. On these days, banks, shops, and some restaurants close, and it’s possible to encounter significant travel delays or interruptions as well.
When considering the best festivals of Seychelles, one
would have to recommend the Festival Kreol, or Creole
Festival. Every year in the last week of October, this
biggest of Seychelles festivals runs its course at various
locations on the main island of Mahe.
Besides listening to great Creole music, visitors to this
romp can also sample Creole food favorites. Talk about
an authentic Seychelles dining
experience! Besides good food and good music, the Creole
Festival also displays Creole art, dance, and fashion.
It’s not uncommon for Creole artists from around
the globe to descend on Mahe Island during this week,
which only helps to cement the festival’s importance
in the overall culture of Seychelles. As mentioned before,
some of the Seychelles events revolve around the water,
and the Seychelles International Game Fishing Competition
is one of them. Gaining momentum, this young event is
organized by the Seychelles Tourism Board, and it has
helped to increase awareness about world-class Seychelles
fishing. This Seychelles event, which is held in the
capital city of Victoria, takes place at a “to-be-determined”
time, meaning that the dates don’t seem to fall
on the same days year after year.
For those who love to sail, perhaps the Seychelles Sailing Cup should be moved to the top of your list of Seychelles events to attend. Maybe you’ll even want to enter the race yourself! Held on the island Mahe, this event takes place in January, and both amateur and professional sailors race a mixed variety of vessels, from catamarans to monohulls. Mahe, the country’s cultural hub, is again the scene for the annual Fete de la Francophonie, which is held in March. If you speak French, you’ll love the various films, exhibitions, and craft stalls. For more than 5 years now, music fans have been able to take part in the Seychelles International Festival of Classical Music, which runs for a few weeks in May and June at the at various Mahe locations. Perhaps not the Seychelles event for everyone, it nonetheless proves that Seychelles is working hard to increase its positive image around the globe. And, by the looks of things, they are doing one heck of a job.
