6 Best Performing Arts in Aruba

Going into its 16th year in 2016, this big festival is becoming the island's top musical event. Held over May's Memorial Day weekend, it attracts big-name artists and huge crowds with concerts rotating locations from Palm Beach to downtown Oranjestad all the way to San Nicolas. There are also comedy shows, a new Soul Beach fitness Challenge, and parties galore island-wide.

The music begins at intimate venues around the island and leads up to a big two-day jazz, soul, and Latin music festival held at the Renaissance Marketplace, usually in the third week of September. Big-name bands draw big crowds to the harbor, and the outdoor party continues long into the night all around Oranjestad with makeshift food stands and temporary bars. There is also a big on-site art event during the fest.

The annual harvest feast and "burying of the rooster" (dera gai) tradition is celebrated June 24 (the feast of St. John the Baptist). Festive songs, bright yellow-and-red costumes, and traditional dances mark this holiday dating from 1862. Today, the live rooster—which symbolizes a successful harvest—has been replaced by a plastic one. You will also notice smoke all around the island from the ceremonial bonfires traditionally lighted that day.

Windsurfers of all skill levels from more than 30 different countries converge in June and July to compete off the beaches at Fisherman's Huts at Hadikurari. Celebrating its 30th year in 2016, this has become the biggest wind- and kite-surfing event of the Caribbean, complete with a massive beach celebration, throngs of fans, and lots of music with a party that lasts for days. Mountain-bike races have been added, and the world's best kiteboarders compete here too.

On March 18, an official holiday, you can stop by Plaza Betico Croes in Oranjestad for folkloric presentations and other traditional festivities. Everyone has flags and is out in the streets; be prepared for just about every business to be closed that day for the celebrations. There are also special sporting events.

Aruba's New Year traditions begin with a big bang before the big day, when Arubans light pagaras—strings of hundreds of firecrackers—all over the island to celebrate a good year and chase out bad vibes. New Year's Eve sees the traditional island-wide fireworks, but they also usher in the New Year with Dande music. It used to be a "stroll" with groups of musicians going from house to house singing good-luck greetings right after midnight, but now it has become a bona-fide organized festival held with big groups competing for prizes on December 27. Dande comes from the Papiamento word dandara, which means "to have a good time."