The National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) is the concept and dream of the late Arden Clarke and his wife Jeanette Layne-Clarke, who, with a group of committed cultural aficionados, coordinated and staged the first festival in November of 1973.

Under the chairmanship of Jean Holder, the first NIFCA committee, which originally comprised of Cynthia Wilson, Virginia Seeley, Arthur Atkinson, Ann Hewitt, Arden Clarke, Janice Millington and was later expanded to include Joyce Daniel, John Wickham and Andrea Gollop-Greenidge along with two resource persons aiding the committee, Esme Wickham and Rosemary Neilands, the task of creating the first National Independence Festival of Creative Arts began.

NIFCA has always sought to unearth the very best of Barbadian talent, encouraging persons from all walks of life to create and submit their entries in the disciplines of dance, music, drama, literary arts, culinary arts, fine art and craft, photography and film, while celebrating Barbados' Independence and National Pride in a tradition of excellence.