Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley declared this year’s August Emancipation Festival to be “one of the best managed festivals in my time” during a press conference on Aug. 24 with members of the Virgin Islands Festivals and Fairs Committee.
He commended the committee for giving VI artists a platform; ensuring the territory’s heritage, emancipation and culture were celebrated; and responsibly managing the budget — which included $1 million allocated from the government.
“I would say they have exceeded expectations on all three objectives,” the premier said.
Dr. Wheatley added that the majority of bills incurred have been paid, with a few “loose ends” to tie up.
“In recent memory, I don’t remember being able to go through a festival and saying that we’re paying all of our bills, and that goes back years and years,” he said. “I don’t remember a time when we’ve been able to have a festival and we can say that we’ve accomplished our objectives and we have money left over.”
He also stressed the secondary financial benefits to the VI business community.
VIFFC Chairman Dirk Walters and Deputy Chairman Birchfield Lettsome also attended the press conference.
“We do have a lot of work to do,” Mr. Walters said. “We’re not just going to rest on the success we’ve already had. We have some tweaking to do, and we realise we have to have a lot more consultations and conversations with the general public going forward.”
By the numbers
Mr. Lettsome offered a broad recap of the festival, noting that 373 vendors and other businesses got involved with the activities.
In response to a question about outstanding payments to some Virgin Gorda-based vendors, Mr. Lettsome said they should receive their money shortly, and he encouraged anyone who hasn’t yet been paid to reach out to the committee.
Initial estimates indicate that within the village alone, potential revenue came to about $750,000, he said.
“We were able to raise $1.17 million in revenue from ticket sales, sponsorships, and other partners outside of the government subvention of $1 million,” Mr. Lettsome added.
The committee engaged 52 artists this year throughout the celebration, he said.
Future celebrations
Absent this year were horse races and a calypso competition, but the premier said organisers are working to bring both events back for the 70th anniversary celebration next year. “We also have to have a discussion about how our celebrations on the east and on the west look,” Dr. Wheatley said, adding,
“We know that culture evolves, but of course we want to be very intentional about what our culture looks like moving forward.”