John Legend and the legendary soul group Earth Wind & Fire will bring the curtains down on the 2025 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival.
The festival’s lineup was unveiled during a launch event at Rodney Bay’s pavilion on Thursday evening. Running from April 30 to May 11, the festival will showcase a rich mix of genres, including reggae, dancehall, soca, compas, Afrobeat, pop, R&B, country, and jazz.
For the first time in its history, the festival’s opening night on April 30 will feature a country music act, with Grammy-winning star Gretchen Wilson taking the stage. The opening will also feature Lady Lava out of Trinidad, Trilogy, Nice & Pudaz of Dominica, DYP from Saint Lucia and Jamaica’s Sizzla Kalonji.
For straight jazz lovers, the festival features two nights of intimate jazz performances: Steve Charles, Mateo Mancuso and Manasa Edward on May 6 and Jazzmeia Horn on May 8.
Kingdom Night on May 7 will spotlight gospel powerhouse Tasha Cobbs, along with Maverick City and local gospel performers.
Caribbean Fusion Night on May 9 will ramp up the energy with dancehall legends Beenie Man and Bounty Killer and Young Bredda, Patrice Roberts and Ricky T will be doing it for soca music.
The Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival will wind down on Saturday, May 10 with Tabou Combo, Joé Dwèt Filé, Ruger and Summer Walker. The grand finale on Sunday, May 11 will feature Ronald Boo Hinkson and Friends; Elliot Yamin; Blu Mango; Earth, Wind and Fire; and John Legend.
Organisers revealed that this year’s festival will include an expanded lineup of community events, with additional performers to be announced in the coming weeks.
Photo caption: SLY performing at the launch of the 2025 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival on Thursday evening.
Not bad $$$$$$$ to be made… the Reggae Acts are huge and are WORTHY OF PIGEON STAGE Sizzla alone would be standing room only, but we know the history and how that goes already so we going Marchand. Will dapper up in the Egyptian Cotton for Earth Wind & Fire, the last time I saw them performed was 25 yrs ago with Santana, got to see these guys one more time before they hang it up a lots of the original members are gone. They are afraid to approach Kartel, of course they would not be willing give up the cricket grounds, and they know St Lucia would never be the same after.
This year will be my first attendance at the St Lucia Jazz and Arts festival. I am both disappointed and disgusted that the opening night will feature a Country Act for the first time. WHY! Given the treatment of black Country Artists in Nashville I would have expected if organisers are so desperate for a County singer they could seek out a black County singer providing them with the opportunity to showcase their talent in St Lucia. The level of controversy surrounding Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter Album highlighted the negative treatment of black Country Artists in Nashville, the backlash from a racist music industry against Beyonce daring to release a Country Album speaks volumes on the barriers holding back black Country Singers.
If the organisers of the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival were so desperate to feature Country Music, then at the very least support your own, if you don’t know of any black Country Singers (shame on you) you should have approached The Black Music Action Coalition who are in the know! Please consider the bigger picture and the impact of your decisions on young black up and coming Artists when programming this event in future. The whole world is watching!