A packed programme of events - covering music, sport and culture - awaits visitors to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba this year.

The Aruba Tourism Authority has just produced its 2014 calendar of events, revealing a series of dates that provide an appealing mix of entertainment and activities, giving visitors a host of diversions from sun, sea and sand.

Carnival season is already underway in Aruba, with the spectacular event celebrating its 60th anniversary. It reaches its explosive finale on March 2 with the Grand Carnival Parade through the streets of capital Oranjestad, with pulsating music, amazing floats and colourful original costumes, decorated with sparkling stones, sequins and feathers. The parade starts at 10am but the fun continues through to the evening.

It's music of a different kind for another headline event on the island in May. The Aruba Soul Beach Music Festival runs from the 21st to the 26th and is a star-studded, two-night concert series featuring such top names as Chaka Khan, Alicia Keys, Estelle and Jennifer Hudson.

More celebrities hit the island in July for the Aruba International Film Festival. Actors, producers and directors will be at red carpet premieres and screenings of an eclectic collection of international and Caribbean films. The festival attracts not only visitors and the media from around the world but also helps to develop and support local talent.

Aruba's prevailing trade winds provide the perfect conditions for the Caribbean's largest amateur windsurfing event, the 28th Annual Aruba Hi-Winds, from July 3 to 7. Staying on the water, yachtsmen head to Aruba from August 15 to 17 for the Aruba Regatta, where competitions for yachts, catamarans, sunfish and windsurfers combine with music, parties and dinners.

Music returns in a big way in September for the two-day Electric Festival 2014, with world-renowned DJs hitting the stage.

More genteel is the Aruba Food, Wine & Art Festival, scheduled for September 12 to 13, showcasing the island's culinary best.

Visitors are encouraged to help with the Aruban environment in September with the 21st Annual Reef Care Project, where more than 800 volunteers, including holidaymakers, help clean dive and snorkel sites, as well as raising awareness of marine ecology.

Music returns to the fore on October 3 and 4 with the 8th Annual Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival, with an impressive line-up of international and local jazz, Latin, soul and funk musicians. In addition to the music, there's an enthralling atmosphere with mouth-watering food stands and numerous bars around the key venue, Renaissance Market Place in Oranjestad.

International sportsmen again head for Aruba in November, this time for the Divi Aruba International Beach Tennis Tournament. Running from the 10th to the 16th, this is the premier tournament in the Caribbean, attracting amateurs and pros from around the world. Eagle Beach is the venue and spectators can enjoy a festive chic beach atmosphere with music and refreshment throughout each day.

For more information about Aruba and 2014 events, go to www.aruba.com

For further press information, please contact: Joanna Walding

Tel: 07885 913860

E-mail: j.walding@aruba.com

Aruba Tourism Authority - UK & Ireland

Note to editors: The Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba lies 15 miles north of the South American coastline, benefitting from year-round sunshine, an average temperature of 32 degrees and a cooling breeze. Located on the edge of the hurricane belt, with a nine mile stretch of award-winning pristine beach, turquoise seas, colonial Dutch architecture and a Latin vibe, Aruba is a delightful alternative Caribbean experience. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operates to Aruba five times a week, with departures from 16 UK airports via its international hub at Amsterdam Schiphol. Thomson Airways operates weekly charter departures from London Gatwick from May to October. Leading tour operators offering packages to Aruba include Thomson Holidays, First Choice, Kuoni, Tropical Sky and Kenwood Travel.