On Friday, August 16, 2024, participants in this year’s national carnival events, organised by the Carnival Planning and Management Committee (CPMC), were celebrated at the annual prize-giving ceremony.
The event at the Sandals Grande ballroom in Gros Islet was hosted by Oneka McCoy and opened with a carnival tribute in song, dance and elements of carnival.
The Minister for Tourism, Investment, Culture, Creative Industries, and Broadcasting, Dr. Ernest Hilaire, addressed the guests.
“We meet tonight to honour all those who succeeded, all those who won prizes, and all those who have to be rewarded for their outstanding performances,” the Minister stated.
“But in many ways each and every one of us is a winner, because Saint Lucia this year, was simply outstanding when it came to carnival and I think we should give each and every one of us an applause for that,” Hilaire declared.
He revealed that earlier that day, he had received the official tourism arrival figures for July, encompassing a little over two weeks of the major carnival activities.
The Tourism Minister disclosed that July reflected a 32% increase in visitor arrivals over that same period last year.
“As we enjoy the successes of this year and we reward those who made it what it was, we also have to start thinking of how we can be better,” Hilaire told the audience.
“It is never enough for us to just be satisfied with what we have achieved. We must always reflect on where we may not have excelled and for us to start planning for next year,” Hilaire said.
He implored those involved always to be ready to make a case for the carnival.
“We must continue to make the case that carnival is not just about persons coming into this country; it is about livelihoods, it is about identity, it is about our heritage, it is about our culture, it is about defining who we are and we have to always make that case,” he said.
Throughout the evening, prizes were handed out to winners at various competitions.
These included Junior Calypso, Junior Carnival, Panorama, King and Queen of the Bands, Groovy and Power Soca Monarch, Calypso Monarch, J’ouvert, Parade of the Bands, and Road March.
Head of the CPMC Tamara Gibson summed up the evening.
“Tonight we honour the outstanding contributions of the many individuals and groups who made this year’s festival the resounding success that it was,” she said.
“Whether you took part as a performer, designer, band leader, events promoter, musician, sponsor contestant or any other capacity, your hard work passion and creativity are the heartbeat of Lucian carnival and it is because of you that this event continues to grow and thrive year after year,” Gibson added.
She said the success of Lucian Carnival this year could be measured in various areas, including participation in events.
“At the national schools calypso a record number of schools auditioned to be part of the finals. We saw one of the largest crowds we have seen for soca monarch in recent years. We also saw events with tickets being sold out within five minutes of them going up for sale We saw record numbers of visitor arrivals to the country for this year’s festival and we also look at safety and security,” she explained.
Gibson thanked the police, the Saint Lucia Fire Service, the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO and others for ensuring an incident-free festival.
Friday’s prize-giving ceremony ended with a performance by the reigning power soca and road March king Ricky T and Bronxx and Matta, followed by cocktails.
