The La Woz Festival (the Rose Festival) is celebrated in Saint Lucia on August 30 each year. It is one of two flower festivals that form part of Saint Lucia’s cultural heritage.
Throughout the month of August, La Woz seances are held in communities across the country, with the festival culminating in a church service and “Gwan Fete La Woz” in one community.
The community chosen this year was Monchy, Gros Islet. The church service there was guided by the chief celebrant, Monsignor Patrick Anthony, who made an appeal for a national flower festival to be held in Saint Lucia, specifically in Monchy.
“I had a vision of Saint Lucia having flower festivals. Saint Lucia should have a big festival of flowers and Monchy should be the centre of that. Viv La Woz!” proclaimed Monsignor Patrick Anthony. The church service was being held at the St Rose De Lima Church in Monchy, named after the same patron saint as the festival.
Anthony said he was putting this idea, which he had been promoting since the 70s, to the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) and Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture Dr Ernest Hilaire, who was in attendance.
Anthony reminded parishioners that Monchy was his home, as this was the first parish where he served as priest. He also reflected on a time when the La Woz Festival was “excommunicated” by the Catholic Church because of behaviour deemed “not so nice”. He went on to credit the late Bishop Charles Gachet for reconciliation between the Church and the flower festival, with the late visual artist Sir Dunstan St Omer as the bridge.
St Omer, according to Anthony, was commissioned to create murals in some churches and combined Christian and cultural imagery in the process.
Pointing to the mural in the church on Sunday, Monsignor Patrick Anthony explained that the wreaths shown in the hands of baby Jesus portrayed the two flower festivals celebrated in Saint Lucia – La Woz and La Marguerite.
“Monchy cest Mama La Woz”, Anthony stated, continuing his presentation in both Kweyol and English. “Bring this novel feature in tourism here. Let us make Monchy a centre for flower festivals so that when you have La Woz, you have La Woz for the whole August month. People should be coming from all around the Caribbean.”
Likening the idea to Saint Lucia Jazz and Lucian Carnival, he reiterated his call for a Saint Lucia Flower Festival.
“I’ve also said, ‘Every household in Monchy should have a rose garden around it.’ Could you imagine if Monchy had roses and other flowers in every household, and then we could have the best household competition, Minister?’” Anthony said, once again directing his idea at Dr Hilaire.
“We can get some money to give the best flower garden in Monchy, give them $10 000,” he said, eliciting murmurs of agreement from the congregation.
According to Monsignor Patrick Anthony, Monchy was sitting on a gold mine. “You know what we have behind us by the sea here?” he asked. “Dauphin,” he answered, explaining that Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott’s first play was “Sea at Dauphin”.
“The children in the schools should be putting on the Sea at Dauphin at Monchy. CDF, you should have a Walcott competition. Encourage people to do “Sea at Dauphin” right here in Monchy… I mean, we have so much potential, and we are not making use of it.”
Activities for the Lawòz Festival 2026 continued in Monchy on Sunday following the church service at the Monchy playing field. Presentations in song and dance were done by La Woz groups from various communities in Saint Lucia as well as a visiting group from Martinique.
