Montserrat officially opened its 50th cultural celebrations on Saturday evening with much flair and fireworks.
Hundreds of residents and visitors turned out to the opening festivities which included music from the Jubilee Choir, the Jubilee Dancers and the Jubilee Steel Orchestra. All three were created to celebrate the festival.
Festival 50 was declared open by Honorable Deputy Premier Charles Kirnon who encouraged everyone to enjoy the two weeks of shows and cultural activities but to be safe and to remember that Jesus remained the reason for the season.
The highlight of the two-hour opening was the debut of a six-member female masquerade group. Historically, Montserrat’s masquerade was performed by men and sometimes included one female as the queen. The female group was well received by the audience and was later followed by almost 30 male masqueraders, most under the age of 15. The Emerald Shamiole Masquerades has been working for the past eight years to teach the art form to the island’s children and have now performed around the region, US and Europe.
Other outstanding performances included Reigning Soca Monarch Rondell and veteran calypsonian Drago.
The participants in the Miss Montserrat Queen Pageant, the Sunrise Productions Teen Pageant and the St. John’s Action Group’s Princess Show made an appearance on the brand new stage purchased for this year’s celebrations.
A special children’s play area was a big hit with the little ones and kept them active long after the ceremony was over. The play zone includes slides, bouncy castles and water play areas.
The opening ceremony was followed by a Jump Up.
For the latest news on Montserrat’s Festival 50 visit www.montserratfestival.com.
