Jan
1 New Year’s Day Celebration
The New Year is always celebrated in St. Lucia, and is more often called Old Year’s Night. You can expect to find any number of parties and dinners across the island with festivities continuing well into New Year’s Day.
Assou Square, a New Year’s Day and New Year’s Holiday Celebration party goes on at the BCG.
Contact: Cultural Development Foundation, P.O. Box CP5405 Castries, St. Lucia, West Indies.
Phone: (758) 452-1859 (758) 452-5646 (758) 453-2459 Fax (758) 459-0615
email: cdf@candw.lc
2 New Year’s Holiday – Public Holiday
9 Seafood Friday at Anse-la-Raye
Much of St. Lucia’s Friday evening activities & entertainment takes place in Rodney Bay at Gros Islet, but the Friday Party at Anse-La-Raye offers something of an pleasant alternative. The village of Anse-La-Raye is located 15-20 minutes south of Castries and Seafood Friday at this traditional fishing village with all sorts of seafood on offer from lobster to shrimp, octopus to squid, plus all types mouth-watering fish. There’s music too to keep the party atmosphere going, so it’s worth making the trip.
| 9 Gros Islet Friday Night Street Party The longest running street party in St. Lucia, the Gros Islet Friday Night Street Party is a hot spot for locals and visitors alike. With the pulsating rhythms echoing from the speakers of the islands DJs and the occasional appearance of local artists, one would be hard pressed not to enjoy themselves and even more so not to move to the infectious bass lines that accompany the Caribbean music. Everyone knows that dancing on an empty stomach is not cool. You can find a variety of B-BBQ grills serving mouthwatering local cuisine including chicken, pork and sea food. One thing’s for sure, Gros Islet Friday Night is a must-stop for any visitor who loves to party. |
Friday Night - Dancing at Gros Islet |
10 Dennery Fish Saturday
On the east coast of the island another village with a fishing heritage attempts to keep our island in perfect symmetry as it to offers its Fish Festival. The general ambiance here is in keeping with that of Gros Islet and Anse-la-Raye with the main difference being the night of the week. The visitor is greeted by the sea breeze which ushers the tantalizing aroma of the myriad of sea offerings prepared by the villagers. The musical accompaniment with a definite preference to Soca, Dancehall (reggae) and some R&B perfectly adds to the atmosphere to make this festival a wonderful experience for any patron.
18-20 CHA Marketplace 2009
Contact: Ms. Dawn Challery-John Project Officer Caribbean Hotel Association at 758-452-9269 or the St. Lucia Tourist Board at 758-452-4094
18-24 Nobel Laureate Week
This is a week set aside every year to honour and celebrate St. Lucia’s two Nobel Laureates. St. Lucia has the highest Nobel Laureate per capita in The World.
Sir Arthur Lewis
Nobel Prize Economics 1979
Hon. Derek Walcott
Nobel Prize Literature 1992.
These two outstanding sons have done St. Lucia and their respective fields proud.
Contact: Cultural Development Foundation, P.O. Box CP5405 Castries, St. Lucia, West Indies.
Phone: (758) 452-1859 (758) 452-5646 (758) 453-2459 Fax (758) 459-0615
email: cdf@candw.lc
Feb
22 Independence Day – Public Holiday
On this day St. Lucia celebrates its 30th anniversary of independence from Britsh rule. In 1979 St. Lucia was reborn as an independent state after being a colony of Great Britain.
25 Ash Wednesday
In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty days before Easter (excluding Sundays). It falls on a different date each year, because it is dependent on the date of Easter; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.
Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are gathered after the Palm Crosses from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are burned. In the liturgical practice of some churches, the ashes are mixed with the Oil of the Catechumens[1] (one of the sacred oils used to anoint those about to be baptised), though some churches use ordinary oil. This paste is used by the clergyman who presides at the service to make the sign of the cross, first upon his own forehead and then on each of those present who kneel before him at the altar rail. As he does so, he recites the words: “Remember (O man) that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”.
Apr
3 ICC One Day International – Cricket!
West Indies and England engage in a One Day International cricket match in what is one of international cricket’s oldest rivalries.
10 Good Friday – Public Holiday
Good Friday is a holy day observed by most Christians on the Friday before Easter. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary. Special prayer services are often held on this day with readings from the Gospel accounts of the events leading up to the crucifixion. Mainstream Christian churches view Christ’s crucifixion as a voluntary and vicarious act, and one by which, along with resurrection on the third day, death itself was conquered.
11 Easter Sunday
Easter, also known as Pascha, the Feast of the Resurrection, the Sunday of the Resurrection, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed between late March and late April . It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which his followers believe occurred on the third day after his death by crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33. In the Roman Catholic Church, Easter is actually an eight-day feast called the Octave of Easter.
13 Easter Monday – Public Holiday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic cultures. Easter Monday in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar is the second day of the octave of Easter Week.
May
1 Labour Day – Public Holiday
A Labour Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers.
The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the Eight Hour Day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. On 21 April 1856 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day with no loss of pay, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day and May Day. (from wikipedia.org)
2-10 St. Lucia Jazz Festival
The St. Lucia Jazz Festival has become one of the major and most anticipated events on St. Lucia and the Caribbean’s calendar of events. During the month of May, the island dances when music fills the air and tourism takes on a whole new meaning to all. What started as simply a marketing event to boost the tourism industry arrivals during a low period, has transformed into one of the premiere jazz musical treats of the world and indeed a truly St. Lucian Festival.
Contact:
St Lucia Tourist Board,
P.O. Box 221,
Sureline Building
Vide Bouteille
Castries
Saint Lucia
Tel: 758 452 4094 Fax: 758 453 1121
email: dirsltb@candw.lc
St. Lucia Jazz Festival
The awesome Najee in concert at the St. Lucia Jazz festival
Jun
1 Whit Monday
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the Christian holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar, being dependent upon the date of Easter
10 Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ) is a Christian feast in honour of the Holy Eucharist. It was originally assigned to the Thursday following Trinity Sunday, thereby mirroring Holy Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week, the day on which Christians commemorate the The Last Supper of Jesus Christ and his apostles, seen as the first Holy Eucharist
Jul
| 20-21 St. Lucia Carnival
This Parade brings to a climax the celebration of St. Lucian Carnival. Titles such as Carnival Queen, Calypso Monarch, Panorama Champions, Party Monarch among others will have already been decided. On these days revellers take to the streets in a bouillion of colour and music as each band strives to capture the coveted title of “Band of the Year”. Contact: Cultural Development Foundation, P.O. Box CP5405 Castries, St. Lucia, West Indies. Phone: (758) 452-1859 (758) 452-5646 (758) 453-2459 Fax (758) 459-0615 |
Aug
1 Emancipation Day – Public Holiday
Emancipation Day is widely celebrated throughout the English-speaking Caribbean or British West Indies on the first Monday in August. It commemorates the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire on August 1, 1834.
30 Feast of St. Rose De Lima (La Rose)
This is one of two rival floral cultural feasts of St. Lucia. It is celebrated primarily in the more rural communities. Participants dress up in costumes and dance in the streests. There are distinct featured characters namely The Queen, King, policeman, nurse etc. They dance to the beat of folk music and drumming. It is quite the cultural treat and visitors are welcome to observe and participate.
Traditionally, these two rival Flower Societies begin what is locally referred to as seances. These seances are essentially weekly meetings held by each group. At these meetings, there is one female singer or a Chantwelle of each Society who has the task of composing Belairs (tunes which are a blend of African and French expressions) which are sung in French Creole. In these songs, the Chantwelle and members give praise to their respective societies, while they lightheartedly disparage their rivals (the other Flower Society) in song and dance. The choruses of these songs are usually sung in unison to the accompaniment of saxophones, violins, the banjo, or any (traditional) musical instrument.
After attending a religious service, members of each Flower Society parade the streets of their community dressed up in imitations of Kings and Queens, prince and princesses, doctors, nurses, policemen and soldiers. These weekly seances culminate in the colourful festivals of the La Rose on August 30 and Les Marguerite on October 17 each year.
Contact:
Folk Research Centre,
Mt. Pleasant,
P.O. Box 514,
Castries.
Tel: 1-758-452-2279
email: frc@candw.lc
web: www.stluciafolk.org
Oct
2 All Souls Day
All Souls’ Day (also the Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, is the day set apart in Western Christianity, especially the Roman Catholic Church but to some extent also among Protestants, for the commemoration of the faithful departed.
5 Thanksgiving Day
17 Feast of La Marguerite
This is one of two rival floral cultural festivals of St. Lucia. It is celebrated primarily in the more rural communities. Participants dress up in costumes and dance in the streests. There are distict featured characters namely The Queen, King, policeman, nurse etc. They dance to the beat of folk music and drumming. It is quite the cultural treat and visitors are welocme to observe and participate.
Contact:
Folk Research Centre,
Mt. Pleasant,
P.O. Box 514,
Castries.
Tel: 1-758-452-2279
email: frc@candw.lc
web: www.stluciafolk.org
22 Saint Cecilia’s Day
Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians and Church music. Her feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches on November 22. She is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. It was long supposed that she was a noble lady of Rome who, with her husband Valerian(us) and his brother Thateus, suffered martyrdom, c. 230AD, under the emperor Alexander Severus.
25 Jounen Kweyol Entenasyonnal
This festival celebrates a popular yet un-official dialect of French, widley spoken in the Caribbean region. A mix of Kweyol (Creole) food, music, games and folklore come together to give this festival a really unique flavour, home to the french influenced Caribbean islands but enjoyed by many more.
Folk Research Centre,
Mt. Pleasant,
P.O. Box 514,
Castries.
Tel: 1-758-452-2279
email: frc@candw.lc
web: www.stluciafolk.org
Nov
| 22- Dec 19 ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers)
The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) is an annual transatlantic sailing competition for racer and cruiser yachts since 1986. ARC starts at the end of November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and ends before Christmas in the Caribbean destination Rodney Bay in Saint Lucia. The ARC is the largest transocean sailing event in the world and regularly attracts over 200 boats of many different shapes and sizes. The route takes between 14 and 21 days aided by trade winds, and covers over 2700 nautical miles. The St. Lucia Tourist Board Vide Boutielle, Castries, St. Lucia. Tel. 758-452-4094email: slutour@candw.lc Also check the ARC website: |
Dec
10 Market Feast
12 Festival of Lights Celebration
Saint Lucians have always observed and celebrated that discovery day for a number of years by going to church services, attending parades and rallies, organizing sports meetings, staging cultural presentations and, recently, the focus has been on the spectacle of these cultural presentations in various communities using the visual imagery of light, in its many manifestations with light sculptures and lantern contests.
Since 1997 the National Festival of Light Official Ceremony has been held on the night of December 12. Celebrated first in Soufrière with its theme, Lantern Parade, switching on of lights by the Hon. Prime Minister, island-wide Jour Overt, Ecumenical Service, Festival of Carols under the patronage of the Governor General, Christmas Music Festival, the National Festival of Light Official ceremony has since moved to Vieux Fort in 1998, Babonneau in 1999, Dennery in 2000, Gros Islet in 2001. This official ceremony continues to make its home at different communities around the island.
13 National Day – Festival of Lights and Renewal
Contact: Cultural Development Foundation, P.O. Box CP5405 Castries, St. Lucia, West Indies.
Phone: (758) 452-1859 (758) 452-5646 (758) 453-2459 Fax (758) 459-0615
email: cdf@candw.lc
25 Christmas Day – Public Holiday
26 Boxing Day – Public Holiday
Boxing Day is a public holiday celebrated in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia and many other Commonwealth countries on December 26, the day after Christmas Day; or alternatively on the next weekday after Christmas.
The celebration is traditional, dating back to the middle ages, and consisted of the practice of giving of gifts to employees, the poor, or to people in a lower social class. The name has numerous folk etymologies the Oxford English Dictionary attributes it to the Christmas box; the verb box meaning: “To give a Christmas-box (colloq.); hence boxing-day.”
