As the Crucian Christmas Carnival continues to increase momentum and takes on new energy as it approaches its climax, the committee has released its lineup for the Carnival Village, which opens on Friday.
This year’s festival theme is “A Majestic Scene for Crucian Carnival 2014-2015,” and as the days draw closer for the highlighted events, Carnival President Davidson Charlemagne said he thinks it is time to unveil the entertainment lined up for the village, which will run through Jan. 4.
The village will feature nightly entertainment, local food and drinks, crafts and toys, and rides in the Coney Island.
The celebration has moved into its 62nd year and continues to grow, attracting people from across the region and the world, Charlemagne said.
He said one of the things that ensures a good time for everyone and keeps visitors coming back to the territory is a great musical lineup, which not only samples the territory’s talent, but also presents artists from across the region.
The task to achieve a star-studded lineup is a difficult one, Charlemagne said, and not too long after Carnival ended last year, he began enquiring about some of the artists he wanted to see in the village for this year’s celebrations.
“It’s really not an easy thing to compete with other locations this time of the year, but we made some great contacts over the years and have been able to secure some hot names in the Caribbean entertainment scene,” he said.
Charlemagne said one of the major setbacks that the committee faced was a slow release of its government funding, but they have been trying to move head nonetheless.
“We are now in December and are only now being able to put deposits down on some of our artists,” he said. “We got our Tourism Department sponsorship, but the general funds money in excess of $200,000 is all we were waiting for.”
Charlemagne said people coming to the village should expect to see soca greats like Mr. Killer from Grenada; Denise Belfone from Trinidad; Claudette Peters from Antigua; and Rupee from Barbados. Charlemagne said there will be hot reggae performances from Jamaica’s Demarco, Tony Reble and Pressure, and Latin favorites like La Fuerza and Grupo Mania.
Local favorites will also take over the village with Dennis De Mennis, Jammerz HP, Kul E Band, Rudy, DJATC and more taking the stage.
The village will feature special nights such as reggae night, soca night, cultural night and Latin night. The final night will feature performances from the Calypso Monarch, Prince Galloway, King Derby, King Obstinate and more.
“We strive to bring out the best because we want people to come out and support the village every night,” Charlemagne said. “It takes a lot for the booth owners to come out and spend their time in the village, so we want to make it profitable for them with the village full every night.”
The weeks-long Carnival celebration so far has featured the Christiansted J’ouvert, Mini Village Night, Soca Party Monarch Eliminations, Princess and Dutchess Show and the Carnival Queen Show.
Crucian Christmas Carnival events will continue with Calypso Monarch Competition, Party Monarch Competition, J’ouvert, Food Fair, Children and Adult parades and village events in the festival village, which opens Friday and runs through the end of the season on Jan. 4.
For more information about the Carnival schedule and this year’s celebration, visit their Crucian Christmas Carnival page on Facebook.
