Turks and Caicos Beach BBQs & Bonfires
One Turks and Caicos evening activity that’s popular with both visitors and locals is beach BBQs and bonfires. These events are a great way to soak in the country's dreamy sunsets, eat delicious food, and spend a laid-back evening on a spectacular beach.
Beach BBQs and bonfires are held throughout the year at local fundraisers, holiday celebrations, and special occasions. A few resorts, including Wymara Resort and The Somerset, host weekly sunset BBQs on the beach. Events hosted by resorts and restaurants tend to feature buffet-style dining, with a bar set up on or near the beach that offers rum punch, cocktails, and other drinks.
Some beach BBQs and bonfires require reservations, so it's best to book in advance. Certain events, such as the Wymara Sunday Night BBQ, do not accept cash on the premises.
Events
The Food
The cuisine of beach BBQs in the Turks and Caicos Islands varies. Resorts typically offer a great buffet selection with surf and turf options like grilled lobster (when it's in season), conch prepared a variety of ways, fried grouper, flank steak, ribs, and more.
For dessert, there are usually several options to choose from. Drinks typically aren't included.
The more informal events often have seafood, traditional BBQ meats, and soups and stews cooked on the fire.
Weekly Beach BBQs
Wymara and The Somerset resort's Barbetta House restaurant both offer weekly beach bonfire and BBQ events. Wymara's takes place on the Bight Beach, while the Barbetta House Beach BBQ is on Grace Bay Beach.
To attend either event, you'll need to make a reservation.
Wymara Sunday Night BBQ
The Wymara Sunday Night BBQ is an upscale buffet dinner and bonfire held in front of the resort's beachfront restaurant, Blue Water Bistro. Seating at the candle-lit tables extends onto the beach, with string lights twinkling overhead.
This beach BBQ is a more high-end affair, ideally suited to couples and adult diners. The feast is all-you-can-eat, and serves up a range of dishes, from garlic butter shrimp and smoked brisket to grilled lobster tails, jerk chicken, peas and rice, and fresh conch ceviche.
Homemade desserts, from sticky toffee pudding to cheesecake and brownies, are a sweet way to top off your plate. Throughout the night, your table is attended by Blue Water Bistro staff.
The Wymara Sunday Night BBQ begins shortly before sunset, though the bonfire isn't lit until well into the evening. Beach chairs are set up around the small fire on the beach, where you can take in the gentle breeze and the cool sand. A live band provides entertainment throughout the night.
Drinks, service charge, and government tax aren't included in the BBQ ticket. The resort does not accept cash, so you'll have to pay with card.
Barbetta House Beach BBQ
Great for families, the Barbetta House Beach BBQ includes live entertainment and an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner on the beach fronting The Somerset every Tuesday night.
The food consists of southern barbecue plates and satisfying island food, like mac and cheese, corn on the cob, jerk chicken, peas and rice, and barbecue ribs. At extra cost, you can add barbecued lobster tails. There's also a dessert table piled with treats such as fresh donuts, custard fruit tarts, and more.
The dining area is directly on the beach, where a perimeter of string lights and colorful table lamps create a soft, dreamy ambiance, especially when the sun starts to set.
The highlight of the BBQ is the fire show at the end of the night, where a fire-breather performs a range of pyro stunts (often enlisting the help of the audience) that are exciting to watch.
This event accepts cash and card payments, and reservations are required. Drinks are not included, but there’s a bar on the beach that you can start a tab with to buy soft drinks, beer, wine, and mixed drinks. Service charge and government tax are not included either.
The event is conveniently located for guests of nearby hotels, including Sibonné, The Tides, The Palms, and Alexandra Resort.
Entertainment
Turks and Caicos has a small but hearty live music scene, and as such, beach bonfires and BBQs often feature entertainment from local acts. The events hosted by the resorts typically have either live music or a DJ, so dancing under the stars is usually a possibility.
Musicians often play a mix of easy-listening and reggae hits that cater to a wide audience. One exception is Junkanoo bands, which have historically performed at some of the larger bonfire gatherings, such as the one hosted by Ricky’s Café on New Year's Eve. These bands play loud, percussive music in eclectic costumes, and are an exciting act to catch.
Fire-breathers and dancers provide some of the most highly anticipated entertainment of the night at beach BBQs. The performance often involves fire-eating, breathing white-hot flames into the air, and creating mesmerizing showers of sparks that make for great social media photos. If you're lucky, you'll get to participate, too. Fire-breathers, like the performer at the Barbetta House Beach BBQ, sometimes pull participants on stage to teach them beginner fire-dancing tricks.
Sunsets
It’s undeniable that the pristine beaches in the Turks and Caicos are a spectacular setting for watching the sunset, and a bonfire is the perfect excuse to be on the beach during the showdown.
Every beach offers its own character. Grace Bay Beach has an expansive and panoramic vista, and the smaller and more sheltered coasts tend to have a bit more reflection on the water. There are many sunset excursions to choose from.
The elusive green flash is another sight to watch for. This uncommon atmospheric phenomenon can be observed occasionally, most often during calm wind and water conditions. As the name suggests, this event is typically seen as a brilliant green flash.