St Lucia Calender of Events
St. Lucians love to celebrate, and any excuse will do.
The St. Lucia Yacht Club serves as the finish line for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, the largest transocean sailing event in the world, which starts each November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and ends 2,700 nautical mi/5,000 km later at the marina in Rodney Bay. The Yacht Club throws huge parties to celebrate the end of the race, which draws more than 200 yachts from 25 nations. Contact the St Lucia Yacht Club (phone 452-8350; http://www.stluciayachtclub.com/arc.htm) or Rodney Bay Marina (phone 452-0324; http://www.igy-rodneybay.com) for event details.
Creole Heritage Month, in October, has been introduced as part of a cultural rebirth of recovering and remembering the past. A series of activities helps stimulate this mass awareness of St Lucia's heritage. Things culminate at the end of October with International Creole Day, or Jounen Kweyol, a worldwide celebration by all countries that speak the Creole language. For more information, contact the Folk Research Center at 452-2279. http://www.stluciafolk.org.
The St. Lucia Jazz Festival draws international acts—and thousands of their fans—for two weeks in early May. Various free lunchtime and evening concerts are held in connection with the Festival, including Jazz on the Square, held at Derek Walcott Square in Castries, followed by Teatime Jazz at La Place Caranage. Jazz on the Pier is designed for cruise-ship passengers and shoppers at Pointe Seraphine, and Jazz in the South features Afro-Caribbean and world music and is held on the beach in Laborie, on the south coast. http://www.stluciajazz.org.
Another popular festival is the St. Lucia Carnival, held in July. Events leading up to the carnival last several weeks, but the main event is the parade of costumed bands that winds its way out of Castries on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. For the calendar of events and other information, contact the Cultural Development Foundation. Phone 452-1859. http://www.luciancarnival.com.
December sees the Heineken Kalalu World Music Festival in Castries, featuring musical artists from around the world.
The St. Lucia Yacht Club serves as the finish line for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, the largest transocean sailing event in the world, which starts each November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and ends 2,700 nautical mi/5,000 km later at the marina in Rodney Bay. The Yacht Club throws huge parties to celebrate the end of the race, which draws more than 200 yachts from 25 nations. Contact the St Lucia Yacht Club (phone 452-8350; http://www.stluciayachtclub.com/arc.htm) or Rodney Bay Marina (phone 452-0324; http://www.igy-rodneybay.com) for event details.
Creole Heritage Month, in October, has been introduced as part of a cultural rebirth of recovering and remembering the past. A series of activities helps stimulate this mass awareness of St Lucia's heritage. Things culminate at the end of October with International Creole Day, or Jounen Kweyol, a worldwide celebration by all countries that speak the Creole language. For more information, contact the Folk Research Center at 452-2279. http://www.stluciafolk.org.
The St. Lucia Jazz Festival draws international acts—and thousands of their fans—for two weeks in early May. Various free lunchtime and evening concerts are held in connection with the Festival, including Jazz on the Square, held at Derek Walcott Square in Castries, followed by Teatime Jazz at La Place Caranage. Jazz on the Pier is designed for cruise-ship passengers and shoppers at Pointe Seraphine, and Jazz in the South features Afro-Caribbean and world music and is held on the beach in Laborie, on the south coast. http://www.stluciajazz.org.
Another popular festival is the St. Lucia Carnival, held in July. Events leading up to the carnival last several weeks, but the main event is the parade of costumed bands that winds its way out of Castries on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. For the calendar of events and other information, contact the Cultural Development Foundation. Phone 452-1859. http://www.luciancarnival.com.
December sees the Heineken Kalalu World Music Festival in Castries, featuring musical artists from around the world.