NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (August 03, 2022) – – Premier of Nevis, Hon. Mark Brantley has hailed the return of Nevis’ Culturama Festival for 2022 as an overwhelming success.
Activities for Culturama 48 wrapped on Tuesday, August 02, 2022, with a massive street parade and Last Lap Jump Up. The festival was shelved in 2020 and held virtually in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier Brantley said the attendance and participation over the course of the festival were record-breaking, and he thanked all who helped to make the event a reality and a success.
“I must congratulate all of the winners, participants, sponsors and organizers who made Culturama 48 one for the ages. We must also recognize and thank the nationals who returned to the land of their birth in large numbers, and through their patronage and participation contributed significantly to the tremendous success of Culturama 48.
“I say thank you to the Security Forces for your vigilance throughout the festivities. Your service was instrumental in keeping our festival safe,” he said.
Mr. Abonaty Liburd, Executive Director of the Nevis Culturama Secretariat, also shared his views on the festival, echoing similar sentiments with respect to the large turnout to events and participation level for the street activities.
“Overall I would certainly rate Culturama 48 as another success story. Patrons came out in large numbers not just for the core activities but also for the fringe activities such as the Wet Fete. The turnout to the pageants and competitions was overwhelming.
“We know the success of any festival is always based on street activities. We saw scores and scores of persons coming over from St. Kitts for J’ouvert, and the Long Jam. The Parade did not have as many troupes this year because some of the Mas bands had some difficulty in terms of sourcing costume materials and getting them into Nevis on time due to shipping issues caused by COVID, but the Parade came off very well. The troupes were very creative and colorful and we had another massive show of support from the people of Nevis and St. Kitts,” he said.
Mr. Liburd registered his gratitude to the Nevis Culturama Committee, contestants and competitors, organizers of fringe activities, revelers, patrons and those who viewed the festivities via live streaming. He thanked the members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force for another incident-free celebration.
The Culturama Executive also expressed gratitude to the sponsors of this year’s festival.
“This year our sponsors came onboard in a big way, including our premium sponsors FLOW, the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank, Bank Of Nevis, Republic Bank (EC) Limited, Carib Breweries, TDC, and all other sponsors. There was an overall increase of sponsorship compared to previous years and that to us was very heartwarming, especially coming out of COVID when businesses suffered financially. So I want to say a special thank you to them for coming on board in such an overwhelming way.”
For the Culturama 48 Street Parade, Mas band Royal Rampage won the Fantasy category, with Four Seasons judged second and Fhunn Vybz third. On De Spot was judged winner of the Ole Mas category, David’s Dynasty won the Folklore category, and Spiderman Comes To Town was judged best in the Float category.
The St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Soca Monarch Finals took place on Friday, July 29. Blade won the crown in the Groovy category with “Lotta Whine” while T-Bone with Mr. Hype won the Power category with “Can’t Stop Us”.
On Sunday, July 31, Miss Nevis Housing and Land Development Corporation, Chalisa Parris, was crowned Miss Bank Of Nevis Culture Queen 2022. She amassed 884 points, winning Best Ambassadorial Cultural Speech, Best in Evening Gown Appearance, and Best On-Stage Interview. Miss St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank, Shamarley Newton placed first runner-up with 883 points. She won Best Performing Talent Segment and the Cultural Ambassadorial Wear Appearance; she was also voted Most Popular Contestant On Social Media and Miss Photogenic. Miss NEVLEC, Sencia Williams, placed second runner-up with 731 points; she was voted Miss Amity.