The Saint Lucia Carnival 2024 was officially launched by Tourism Minister Ernest Hilaire on Thursday, April 4, 2024, during a brief ceremony. The Minister highlighted various reasons behind this year’s carnival being the biggest in the history of the island nation.
In his speech, the Deputy PM focused on the immense benefits that the international festival will bring to the citizens of Saint Lucia during and around the Carnival.
Saint Lucia Carnival 2024 is the largest festival celebrated in the country and highlighted the important details of it. The Carnival in Saint Lucia is more than just a mass and what happens on the road for a couple of days.
The Deputy PM Ernest Hilaire emphasised that it is a part of their culture to help and define who they are as a people. But there are some people who always criticise and these people believe that they are wasting money on Carnival.
He mentioned that the carnival is very powerful to unlock the patterns and unleash the creativity of the Saint Lucian people. Various people such as musicians, artists, costume makers, are participating in the pageants and all of that is a reflection of the creativity that people showcase.
The Lucian Carnival is a powerful economic agent in itself, as last year, 18,000 people visited the fest for the first two weeks of July. This shows the importance of the Carnival for economic growth and development.
Considerably, the carnival brings in the substantial income to the country. It covers all the important and various sectors that are beneficial such as cosmetologists, stylists, fashion designers, people who rents Airbnb, restaurant owners and car rental companies.
The Tourism Minister Hilaire said that the Carnival impacts the country economically and therefore it is something that they need to protect. The minister considers the following points which makes the carnival important.
First and foremost, reason is creativity and the expression of the people. Another reason is that it is economically beneficial. As a lot of revenue will be coming in as treasure.
To bear the fruits of the same, they need to continue to ensure that the festival grows and creates livelihood for more people who are dependent on this.
The last reason that highlights the importance of the carnival is to excel in it. As the minister is expecting this year to surpass what they have achieved in 2019 by working together as a community and to defend what they have.
