Bermuda Looks Ahead to an Action-Packed 2020
There’s a new decade looming – and the future has never looked brighter in Bermuda, the mid-Atlantic jewel located just a short two-hour direct flight from most major east coast airports in the US. Average daily temperatures hover around the 70-degree mark from January through March, serving up an environment worthy of escape from the northeast. The island’s calendar for the first half of 2020 is already packed with only-in-Bermuda experiences and celebrations, incredible sporting events and special offers for travelers. From Top Chefs to triathletes, from tennis fanatics to spa lovers, there’s plenty to tempt travelers out here in Bermuda.
Cultural Celebrations
Explore Bermuda Cuisine During Restaurant Weeks
Celebrate Bermuda’s distinct food culture with locally-inspired menus and great deals during Restaurant Weeks, Jan. 16 – Feb. 2, 2020. Take advantage of a variety of two-course lunch or three-course dinner prix fixe menus at different price points (Lunch: $22; Dinner: $32, $42, or $52 per person). New for Restaurant Weeks 2020: expect a delicious mash-up of food and culture in a line-up of memorable culinary experiences at scenic cultural sites across the island. Exclusive Bermuda Restaurant Weeks events include:
- Fragrance and Food Pairing (Jan. 16): To launch Bermuda Restaurant Weeks, Master Perfumer Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone of Lili Bermuda and Luxury Picnic Curator Lizzy Blankendal of Eettafel Bermuda have come together for the first time in an all-Bermuda fragrance and food pairing picnic at the National Historic Trust Waterville Rose Garden.
- Bermuda’s Culture & Heritage Dinner with Eric Adjepong (Jan. 24): Beloved Top Chef season 16 contestant Eric Adjepong will create a special meal inspired by the island's African Diaspora, particularly Bermuda's Cobbs Hill Methodist Church, a still-thriving sanctuary built by enslaved and freed men in the moonlight in 1827. With accommodations at Newstead Belmont Hills Golf Resort & Spa and the event taking place at Fourways Restaurant, this once-in-a-lifetime culinary event will showcase locally harvested ingredients that tell the story of Bermuda's first people of African descent and how that heritage reflects in the island's food culture today.
- Summer Fish Fry (Feb. 2): Bermuda's spectacular Transportation Museum in Royal Naval Dockyard welcomes visitors and locals for a summer-inspired fish fry to mark the finale of Restaurant Weeks 2020. Some of the best fish preparers on the island will be on-hand, right next to some of the island’s best local brewers and cocktail makers.
The Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts Celebrates 45 Years in 2020
For two months at the beginning of each year, Bermuda becomes an international hub for cultural exchange and artistic growth. During the Bermuda Performing Arts Festival, artists from a range of disciplines come from around the globe to present a schedule of events designed to appeal to a diverse audience. The festival will celebrate its 45th year from Jan. 17 to March 14, 2020 with a lineup that includes famed Albanian violinist Alda Dizdari, a performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and the Afro-Jazz gospel of Nobuntu from Zimbabwe. This year’s theme reflects unity and collaboration, showcasing the power of the performing arts in bringing people together.
Second Annual Spa Month Invites Visitors to Relax and Unwind
Breathe in, breathe out and discover hot stone massages, soothing aloe vera body wraps and deeply hydrating treatments for only $99 during February’s Spa Month. That’s 50 percent off of select treatments at more than ten of Bermuda’s most alluring resort and day spas. Learn more.
Bermuda Day
Break out the swimsuits and Bermuda shorts – summer traditions in Bermuda start with the Bermuda Day long weekend, May 23-25. Thousands of people crowd the streets of Hamilton to celebrate Bermuda’s rich heritage with a parade, music, dancing and other festivities that stretch long into the night.
Bermuda Heroes Weekend
Experience the best Carnival-style celebration to ever grace the pink sands of Bermuda. From June 5 - 15, events during Bermuda Heroes Weekend include food, music, a parade of bands, boat rides, breakfast parties and "Pan In The Park" with international Steel Pan musicians.
Sporting Experiences & Events
April 2020 Sporting Events
- 2020 CARIFTA Games Will Bring Top Track & Field Athletes to Bermuda – Bermuda will host the prestigious 2020 CARIFTA Games, April 10-13. The CARIFTA Games is an annual athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association, consisting of track and field events in two age categories: under-17 and under-20. The event is a training ground for future greats: When Bermuda hosted the event in 2004, it saw the start of the rise of super sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica.
- The MS Amlin World Triathlon Returns to Bermuda – Amateur triathletes, including relay teams, are invited to join International Triathlon Union World Champion Flora Duffy out here on her beautiful island home to race the MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda on April 18, 2020. Don't miss this bucket-list World Triathlon Series event. Participate in sprint and standard distance events -- swim in the warm, crystal clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean, bike beautiful winding roads, and run a colourful course in the center of Bermuda's capital, Hamilton. Learn more at bermuda.triathlon.org.
- USTA Pro-Am Event – Bermuda joined forces with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in 2019 as the exclusive tourism partner of the US Open Tennis Championships. The Bermuda Tourism Authority is currently working in conjunction with the USTA, USTA Player Development and the USTA Foundation to create a new, multifaceted event to take place in Bermuda April 3-5, 2020. The event will feature a Pro-Am, kids’ clinics as well as exhibitions with tennis legends and rising American players. A USTA Category 2 tournament is also planned to take place around the same dates at famed Coral Beach Club. Stay tuned for dates and further details.
GoToBermuda Joins Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
Bermuda has announced its debut team entry in the upcoming 2019–20 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The yacht, GoToBermuda, joined 11 other Clipper 70 ocean-racing vessels in the 2019–20 edition of the 40,000-nautical-mile race that began in London on Sept. 1, 2019. For the first time, Bermuda will be a Host Port and Team Partner for what is considered the world’s toughest amateur sailing race. In July 2020, the City of Hamilton will be one of 15 host ports for the race fleet—on the epic journey’s final Leg 8 from New York to Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Other ports include Panama; Portimao, Portugal; Cape Town, South Africa; Fremantle, Australia and Qingdao, China. Watch our video about Bermuda’s entry in the Clipper Round the World Race here.
Of course, Bermuda is one of the sailing race capitals of the world, with many incredible events taking place in 2020:
- Antigua Bermuda Race (May 5-20, 2020) – In the second edition of the Antigua Bermuda Race, a competing fleet of luxury yachts sets sail from Charlotte, Antigua to Bermuda and her alluring crystal blue waters.
- Argo Gold Cup (May 11-16, 2020) – The Argo Group Gold Cup held in the Great Sound of Bermuda is a one-on-one duel of strategy and tactics. The winner takes home a coveted prize: The King Edward VII Gold Cup, the oldest match-racing trophy in the world for competition involving one-design yachts.
- Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race (June 5, 2020) – This race takes covers 753 miles, making it the longest ocean race on the East Coast of the U.S. Setting sail from Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, the swirling currents and wild weather of the Gulf Stream will test any crew’s mettle.
- Newport Bermuda Race (June 19, 2020) – Founded in 1906, the 635-mile biennial Newport Bermuda Race is the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race. Its nickname is "the thrash to the Onion Patch" because of high winds and big waves (a potent mix sailors call "a hard thrash").
- Clipper Race Stopover (July 4-7, 2020) – Bermuda is the newest Host Port and Team Partner to join the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, which will call into Hamilton during the final leg of the epic 40,000 nautical mile-long circumnavigation.
Always in Season Warm Winter Experiences
Winter in Bermuda delivers warm weather and endless unique experiences. Just a few of these “always-in-season” adventures include:
- Kitesurfing – This is one of the ultimate on-the-water experiences in Bermuda. The winds are just right in winter for this thrilling activity, where you use a steerable kite to zip across the water on a board.
- Whale Watching – One of the best-kept secrets of the Atlantic Ocean is the population of humpback whales that migrate past Bermuda every winter, offering visitors the chance for an up-close-and-personal encounter with the acrobats of the sea. Recently, Bermudian filmmaker Andrew Stevenson’s humpback documentary Secret Lives of the Humpbacks won the award for Best Ocean Film at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival.
- Birdwatching – Bermuda is home to a wide array of birdlife, and winter is one of the best times to catch sight of some beautiful feathered creatures. The Cahow is still one of the rarest seabirds in the world, with just over 100 nesting pairs – and Bermuda is the only place you can catch a glimpse of one, out on Nonsuch Island.
Accommodations News
Luxury Vacation Rental Sandymount Opens
Sandymount is the perfect Bermuda vacation rental choice for visitors seeking privacy, luxury, and convenience. It is similar to staying on a private island – without dealing with the hassle of boats. A stately Bermuda house with its structural origins dating back to the 1600s, Sandymount is a luxury four-bedroom/four-bathroom house nestled into 2.5 acres of property with spectacular unparalleled views over the island's north shore and Baileys Bay.
Introducing Azura Boutique Hotel & Residences
The first visitors have been welcomed to the Azura Boutique Hotel and Residences. Work on the second phase of the project at the former Surf Side Beach Club in Warwick is underway, and The Azura will start full occupancy in the first quarter of 2020. Reservations are available from January 1, 2020, through their online booking engine. The Azura is located next to the 8.7-acre Blackburn Smith Nature Reserve in Bermuda’s highly desirable South Shore beach corridor.
Bermudiana Beach Resort, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
The Bermudiana Beach Resort is a 111-room resort slated to open in summer of 2020 and will sit on a cliff overlooking the pristine pink-sand beach and turquoise waters. An array of vibrant amenities will include a family-friendly swimming pool and an infinity pool, an indulging spa, fitness center, and an immaculate and secluded beach accessible via a two-car funicular elevator. Guests will be welcome to enjoy the terrace with its signature restaurant, bar and ocean views. The hotel will also offer flexible space for meetings and events, as well as a beautiful outdoor space perfect for weddings.
St. Regis Hotel
Construction is well underway at the St. Regis Hotel in the historic Town of St. George, with model rooms currently available for viewing. The property broke ground in early May 2017, with a projected opening date of April 2021. The new hotel will feature 122 rooms and suites, and an 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, among other amenities.
New Airport Terminal
The new L.F. Wade International Airport terminal is under construction with a projected opening in July 2020. A state-of-the-art facility, it will be accessible to all passengers and include features such as covered passenger boarding bridges. There will be improved concessions, restaurants and duty-free offerings as well as views of Bermuda’s beautiful water for passengers to enjoy. Security screening and immigration will be streamlined and modernised for more efficient check-ins and arrivals. The new facility has been designed with sustainability in mind to minimize environmental impact and maximise efficiencies. Being located further inland, the new airport terminal will be more resistant to hurricanes and will be built at a higher elevation than the existing one. Learn more at bermudaairport.com.
