Bermuda - Music and Performing Arts

Bermuda has many musical and performing arts traditions. Each fall, the island hosts the Bermuda Music Festival, which draws top performers and comedians including Smokey Robinson, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Steve Dunn. On Boxing Day and New Year's Day, Bermuda Gombeys—traditional Bermudian rhythmic drumming and dancing troupes—take to the streets in holiday celebration. The world Gombey derives from the African word for "drum," and the progressively frenetic dance-and-drum performances reflect the melting pot that is Bermudian culture and tradition. From November through March, weekly Gombey revues are performed on Front Street in the City of Hamilton. Every year during its Spring Break, Harvard University's Hasty Pudding comedy troupe performs at Hamilton's City Hall.

Bermuda also supports a number of performing arts societies that stage performances throughout the year. These include the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society, the Bermuda Philharmonic Society (which performs two free outdoor concerts every first weekend in June) and the National Dance Theatre of Bermuda.