The reigning panorama champions, Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra, have been selected to represent Antigua and Barbuda at a prestigious festival celebrating cultural performers from the Caribbean and Africa.

The festival, themed ‘Drums of ALBA—Beats of our Identity,’ will be held from June 20 to 23 in Bolivar Square in Caracas, Venezuela.

The event is primarily for member states of ALBA TCP, a grouping of Caribbean and Latin American countries established by the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuba’s late President Fidel Castro.

Although it is primarily for ALBA member states, non-ALBA countries and a group from Benin, Africa, have also been invited.

The Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra will travel to Caracas on Wednesday. Its first performance is scheduled for Thursday.

The festival coincides with the Festival of San Juan, an annual event in Venezuela. The lineup includes performers from Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Haiti, Uruguay, Colombia, Honduras, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica. Additionally, several groups from the host country, Venezuela, will be participating.

The festival will also feature discussions on various topics such as the African Presence in Latin America and the Caribbean, Culture and Politics, Caribbean Identity and Spirituality, and Economy and Cultural Tourism.

Furthermore, all attendees will participate in an event called “Walk for the Spirituality Day of Caracas” on Saturday, which will commence from La Pelota corner on Urdaneta Avenue and conclude at Bolivar Square in the city.