Peppered Pickled Pirate Party Time is a new event for Nevis in the Caribbean. The event combines two things the Caribbean is known for: hot peppers and pirates; it promotes local history and culture, and it's really about having a good time. The week-long event is being set up on Nevis, in two dates, being able to accomodate the British and European school vacation time from October 25 through October 31 and then for American Thanksgiving, November 22 through November 28.  

Nevis has a lot of genuine pirate history. Famous pirate Captain Kidd got his start on Nevis by stealing a French ship from St. Kitts, after which the British Governor paid him for it. Perhaps surprisingly, Kidd used the money to help set up churches in New York City. His number two man, Hendrick van der Haul, is reported to have been "a small black man"; pirate crews were often 30% African, and these were true crew members and not slaves. There were many other pirates that visited this small Caribbean island, including "Black Bart", Bartholomew Sharpe, Edward Lowe, and the notorius Francios Ollonais. Horatio Nelson wasn't exactly a pirate, but he came to the island to stop Nevis from trading with the American colonies!

This festival is going to be different from the normal music and food celebrations found throughout the West Indies. If plans go well and weather permits, it will start off with a "Pirate Invasion" of sailing vessels racing over from the neighbouring island of St. Kitts carrying Pirates into the harbour at Charlestown, with Pirate Flags flying. That night there will be an Admiral's dinner at Montpelier Plantation Inn with dart throwing, handmade darts and a wine cork board.

There is a planned Pepper Sauce Contest for the local ladies, which is to be held at the Handicraft House. Nevis is already famous for its excellent pepper sauce, so the best of the best should be really worth sampling.

One hotel, The Hermitage Inn,  will host a party where all the food items will start with the letter "p": a pig roast with potatoes and pumpkin soup, served with a pirate punch! Sounds delicious! Everyone who comes to the party will dress as something that starts with the letter "p", thus dressing as pirates, priests, palm trees, penguins, pink elephants or postage stamps, will all be possibilities! The most unusual costume gets dinner for free. 

Golden Rock Inn, will have a Crew Carousal, singing pirate songs, and a contest for the best pirate joke, so watch out, Jack Sparrow!  Mount Nevis Hotel will do a West Indian night with Conch Horn blowing.  Nisbet Plantation is hosting ."a "roaring rum mixer"; this is not a bartenders' contest, but a curiosity: everyone brings something which gets mixed with rum to see what happens!  A beach barbecue follows. Hurricane Cove Bungalows will also be helping sponsor activities.

Peppered Pickled Pirates Party Time will be a lot more than just food and singing.  A Family Day at Oualie Beach Resort will raise money for local charities.  There will be a poker race on bikes, a pirate pitch for marine education and raffles of locally made art for the Change Centre for Single Mothers. There will be an island-wide treasure hunt, with a treasure chest hidden around the island. Clues will be given out on the radio, and posted at the hotels. There hopefully will be a water fight, so bring balloon bombs and squirt guns

Weather permitting, there will be a Scuba dive to the ocean floor to look at the sunken remains of an old ship. There will also be horse racing with a Donkey Derby to raise funds for the Animal Rescue Centre.

This is to be a fun festival, rather than a fancy one, and it is still being assembled, so please contact one of the organisers for more details, or to give suggestions. Organizers can be contacted at pppptnevis@live.com.

Set your sights and sails on Nevis for a "pirateful" of fun!