Kick off the New Year with a celebration at the St. Christmas Carnival. Croix

New Year’s celebrations shouldn’t end on New Year’s Eve. You can proceed the party until the first week of January, having fun with the beautiful blue skies and water during the peak winter season.

The Caribbean is thought for celebrating Black excellence throughout the 12 months, especially during the various carnivals held in the West Indian countries. Saint Holy Cross US Virgin Islands belongs to the Caribbean islands where a carnival takes place yearly at the starting of the latest 12 months.

Called Caribbean Christmas Festival, the nearly two-week event will run from December 26, 2023 to January 6, 2024. The Christmas Carnival has been a treasured tradition since the nineteenth century, when enslaved Africans got free time to have fun Christmas. They dressed up in home costumes and danced in the streets.

Carnival lasts will happen on the first Friday and Saturday of the New Year, this 12 months the Children’s Parade will happen on Friday, January 5, and the Adults’ Parade on Saturday, January 6.

Events leading as much as the grand carnival included seven days of free concert events featuring top local and international artists including Cool Session, Charlie Aponte, Destra, Nadia Batson, Adam O, Capleton, Edwin Yearwood & Krosfyah, Karnage and Dexta Daps. This 12 months’s event, hosted by the U.S. Department of Tourism and the U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Festivals, featured beloved cultural events including performances by the Prince, Princess, Dutch and Duchess Show, Queen Pageant and Soca Monarch. The Festivals Department also hosted the first ever Kid Ville event, attended by the island’s youngest inhabitants.

The annual Food Fair at Frederiksted Pier showcased the vibrant flavors of Caribbean cuisine, with a range of delicacies from pâtés to seafood. Participants had the opportunity to participate in a particularly competitive “tart war” and vote for the best coconut, pineapple and guava varieties.

From Thursday to Saturday, the streets of Frederiksted got here alive with local and visiting pleasure-seekers participating in J’ouvert, the Children’s Parade and the Adults’ Parade. A record variety of attendees and participants wearing elaborate and culturally significant costumes celebrated the island’s wealthy Caribbean heritage.

“This year’s Christmas Festival in Karas ended an extraordinary 2023 for our territory and announced the beginning of 2024 as a year dedicated to further developing the attractiveness of tourist destinations,” said Joseph Boschulte, Commissioner for Tourism.

After the parade, a fireworks display concluded the 12-day celebrations, followed by an Uber Soca night in the village of Frederiksted with performances by international Afro Beats star Davido and Caribbean Soca Performer of the Year, Mr. Killa.

“This 12 months’s Crucian Christmas Festival showcased the wealthy and wealthy culture of St. Croix, from competitions to food fairs, J’ouvert and parades,” said Ian Turnbull, director of festivals.