The Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival attracted a record number of patrons on opening night, April 30, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Industries Dr Ernest Hilaire said on Monday.
“From the data we have, it would seem that we hosted the largest crowd ever for Jazz. The records show that over 12,000 patrons attended the opening of jazz,” Hilaire told a pre-Cabinet press briefing. “Last year we had 10,600 plus, and this year we would have topped this.”
The minister pointed out that by all accounts, the opening was incident-free and successful.
He said the success continued into the community events: Anse La Raye and Choiseul on May 1, Soufriere on May 2, and Vieux Fort, Fond D’or, and Babonneau on May 3, which marked the end of the community events.
Part of the offering in Anse La Raye, Hilaire said, was a play by George “Fish” Alphonse, which he attended and found very well done. Soufriere Jazz, he pointed out, had record numbers and patrons appeared to have had a fantastic time.
“We structured the programme in a way that persons could head down to the south, take in Anse La Raye and Choiseul on the Friday, then Soufriere on Saturday, enjoy the event Ditaye en Souf in Soufriere Sunday morning and then head across to Vieux Fort, Fond D’or or Babonneau,” he explained.
The festival continues this week with Art and the City and mainstage Jazz events. Tuesday and Thursday will feature Pure Jazz performances at the Pavilion in Rodney Bay, while Kingdom Night on Wednesday and Caribbean Fusion on Friday will both take place at Pigeon Island.
It will culminate with World Beats on Saturday, May 9, and the Ultimate Celebration on Sunday, May 10, featuring Billy Ocean, Brandy and Monica.
