Food lovers will be able to sample some of Bermuda's finest cuisine later this week in the Chamber of Commerce's Festival.

The week-long celebration kicks off on Sunday, November 22, with a holiday craft market at No. 6 Shed between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. and features plants, holiday crafts, jams, mini doughnuts, gourmet food items, art, cigars and jewellery.

There will also be a kiddie area outside complete with face painting, a large slide and fun-castle. Dangelini's will be serving coffee, tea and baked goodies and both Gosling's and Barritt's will be providing samples of their products.

Retail, restaurant and hotel employees, together with members of the Chamber's executive board and Bermuda's Emerging Professionals (BEPRO) will be pitted against each other in wacky relay races down Front Street, with Bruce Barritt acting as the afternoon's 'Wacky MC'.

The races start at 2 p.m., followed by the finals at 4 p.m. with the 'Wacky Winners' crowned during the official opening ceremony at 4.45 p.m. The Mayor of Hamilton, president of the Chamber Stephen Todd and heads of both the retail and restaurant division will be on hand to welcome those in attendance.

At the end of the evening and during the week until November 26, the public will be encouraged to dine out at the Chamber's participating member restaurants around the Island offering fixed price three-course dinner menus; $29 for casual dining and $49 for fine dining.

Participating restaurants include Bacci, the Barracuda Grill, Beau Rivage, Bouchee, Flanagan's, Fourway's Inn, Freeport Seafood, the Frog & Onion, Heritage Court, the Hog Penny, La Trattoria, Latin, the Pickled Onion, the Veranda Bar and the Waterlot Inn.

To close out the week, from November 27 to 28, there will be a Chamber shopping festival, during which retailers in Hamilton will be offering in-store activities and promotions, including discounts, wine and rum cake tastings, book signings, demonstrations, caricature artists, mystery gifts and cookies for the children.

Those taking part include the Bermuda Bookstore, Carole Holding Studios, Frameworks Gallery, Foreign Cargo, Gibbons, AS Coopers, Brown & Co., Pulp & Circumstance, Daisy n Mac, the Irish Linen Shop, Gosling's and M3Wireless.

Stores will be open until 9 p.m. for Friday late night shopping, which traditionally coincides with the Corporation of Hamilton's Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Santa's arrival down Reid Street on the fire truck, as he makes way to the Phoenix for photos.

To provide customers with an incentive to shop in stores during this time, 14 of the Chamber's restaurant members have partnered with its retail members to offer $10 dining vouchers for every $100 spent at participating merchants. Consumers will have until December 3 to redeem them.

Contact the Chamber of Commerce, visit the website at www.bermudachamber.bm or buy a copy of The Royal Gazette to get a list of those restaurants and members participating in this promotion.