Courtesy of: Aruba Daily
On Tuesday afternoon, all roads lead to the Radisson Aruba Resort Casino & Spa pool deck, as Biba Aruba Festival unfold at sunset, rimming with great food, steel-band music, Carnival dancers, a brass band, fire-eaters, twin-acrobats and stilt walkers for a spectacular Caribbean show under the stars. Guests come early, and leave late, feasting on chef-prepared food-offerings including barbequed boneless chicken, spare ribs, chorrizo with chimichuri, authentic seafood paella, corn on the cob, baked beans, potato salad and coleslaw, over bottomless tropical cocktails and libations.
Some guests frolic in the pool between bites, some get up to dance. A great number of the island’s artisans set up their displays at the edge of the pool deck, loaded with hand-made souvenirs, cigars, figurines, jewelry and crochet work, welcoming browsers and shoppers as the kids are entertained in the jumping castle. The atmosphere is truly relaxed and fun, as the sun sets on another glorious Caribbean vacation day.
The most charming Touch Of Steel Orchestra plays from the early evening hours classic Caribbean hits and the island’s most popular Carnival tunes. Emceed by Randall Boekhouder, the resort’s director of activities, guests are then introduced to dancing and juggling stilt walkers, just before the arrival of the marching brass band, followed by the gorgeous and colorful fully-costumed Carnival dancers.
The conga line wraps around the pool as guests follow the feather and glitter clad revelers, taking pictures and posing with family members and kids for souvenir snapshots from an enchanting evening at the Radisson.
The entertainment wraps up with three most exciting performances. A talented juggler with a giant steel cube, spins his magic just ahead of the twin acrobats and the death-defying fire eater, who dances and spews live flames, against the by-now-almost-completely-dark evening sky.
General manager Mark Lyttleton-Frances explains the evening is designed to entertain locals and visitors, with reasonably priced food and drink — the BBQ is just $20 — showcasing Aruba’s music and culture al-fresco, in a laid back, inviting setting, that of the beautiful gardens and beach front of the Radisson Aruba Resort Casino & Spa. Everyone is welcome, he says, please join us, come one, come all, he concludes.
