Welcome to Friendship Arts Foundation aka Friendship Festival Tobago!!
They heard a voice saying, gather your friends and friends of friends together. Tell them to get their camping tents, their coolers with food, drinks and fruits of all kind, their musical instruments and their singing voices and lets have a Friendship Festival!!
And so Friendship Festival was born in Trinidad and Tobago and continues to grow year after year since 2013.
Friendship Festival is held in Tobago at Friendship Riding Stables. Address: Friendship Estate off Millford Road, Canaan, Tobago.
In Trinidad at The Blackman Ranch in Piparo.
Address: Plot #12 Thomas Seebocus Trace Piparo, San Fernando Trinidad.
Derek Hearn and Sheldon Blackman have been friends for a very long time and Friendship Festival is the continuation of their dream and vision to have a real camp out festival in T&T with music, theatre, arts & craft, workshops, food & drinks, good vibes and good people.
We believe that this does not need a lot of money to come to life but rather desire, will and action!!! We have the space, date and time, so we say let’s get people together and do it!!!
The goal is for this to be a gathering for friends, family and festival lovers to remember!!!
THE OPEN STAGE:
An important part of Friendship Festival is an OPEN STAGE which is called “Open Xpressions” for those who want to perform. Just come and sign your name up on the list when you get there or you can send an email to: friendshipfestivaltt@gmail.com
Open Xpressions is a project developed by Sheldon Blackman in collaboration with Nordic Black Theatre in Oslo Norway. It is held every 3rd Wednesday with three elements; a discussion forum for artists, a showcase where artists/bands can present work and an open mic.
Inclusive of all art forms:
More info: Facebook group “open xpression” and www.nordicblacktheatre.no
This is essentially a FREE Festival
but we ask for a Contribution
if you have or you don’t have ALL are welcome.
The money go to help cover running cost.
More Back Ground:
Friendship Festival is also a continuation of Alternative Dimensions, a project done by Sheldon Blackman in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. It’s aim was to showcase the diversity of T&T music within the carnival season. The groups involved represented all alternative fusion based music (calypso based: jazz, pop, rock, reggae, Rapso and Jamoo etc) and this is also the aim and goals of Friendship festival.
Derek Hearn has also hosted countless gardering at his home and have been one of the main organiser of the old years night Mount Irvine bay gathering for over 14 years. Some of the Live Performances over the past  Friendship Festivals  include the Artists: Sheldon, Marge and Isaac Blackman (originally from Ras Shorty I’s Love Circle), Ozy Merrique (originally from Homefront), Gillian Moore, Nzinga Job, Ray I, Caleb Hart, Joel Beazer with Brain Coral, Kiwan Landreth-Smith, Ria Ghent, Sesalito Chris M, Lazarus with: Marcos Mayers, Darryl Hannibal, Roger De Freitas, Joel Chandler, Bobby Sookoo and most recently Rochelle Antoine aka Luna TT.

For more information or to make a booking or donation please contact us (868)308-7201.

Check us out on Instagram Foundation Arts and Friendship Festivals