Over $1.2M allocated for festival as 2024 report delayed
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has confirmed that more than $1.2 million has been allocated for the 2025 emancipation festival, even as questions linger over the delayed financial report for last year’s event.
Premier Wheatley said the funding includes allocations for events across the territory. “What was approved, what was allocated actually was 1.2 million dollars to the Festival Affairs Committee,” he stated.
However, he acknowledged that supplementary funding was expected: “We were planning on providing a little bit more money through a SAP (Schedule of Additional Provisions)… Subject to approval from the House, we may have additional funds.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Joseph Smith-Abbott added that the ministry and the Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs Committee had been “working very closely… to establish what the ceilings are and expenditure,” noting that revenue projections had also been factored into planning.
Despite the new budget, the government has not yet made public the financial report for the 2024 festival. “We’re just finalising the details for the last report,” Premier Wheatley said, noting that it must pass through Cabinet before being laid on the table in the House of Assembly.
The 2025 emancipation festival, scheduled to run from July 19th to August 9, is being managed by a newly appointed committee chaired by Natalie Hodge-Pennlake. Minister for Culture Luce Hodge-Smith noted that the appointments followed a “transparent and exclusive recruitment process” and confirmed that the current $1.2 million allocation also covered the earlier Easter Festival.
“We’re hoping that in the future, we can justify why we should have an increase in getting the funds for festival increased,” Hodge-Smith stated.
Government officials also disclosed that $100,000 of the approved budget had already been spent on Easter Festival activities, leaving about $1.1 million for Emancipation celebrations.
While defending the expenditure, Premier Wheatley linked the festival to national pride and identity. “We are not merely planning events, but reaffirming our identity and investing in national pride,” he said.
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Festivals should stem from the heart of the people, not from the pockets of the people.
Culture should not be treated as a commodity.
waste of money
Funds being paid for overseas entertainment and local vendors are still awaiting payments, while local musicians are mostly like to be overlooked. Don’t mention the high fees to enter village and high cost of food and drinks inside. The economy is bad, but the price to enjoy festival activities is outrageous.
Question of the day!
And neither the culture, people nor the commodity should be ripped off for personal gain by the empowered.
Sorrowfully, our Virgin Islands politics have evolved and its purse are seen as a means of get rich scheme off of the government’s purse, just as it is in its various forms around the globe.
It behoves the public who can can see one enter the government as a regular person and then comes out rich and fat.
It is the same, America, Europe,Africa, all over the world unfortunately,though some nations the problem is more visible and acute.
More,it has become more visiblein the erritorybecause it was a state goal by those who sought to be empowered.
Meanwhile,such complaints are placed in the public domain daily, yet a change in poitical and monetary management remain nonexistent.
Amazing that with a budget of more than 1.2million that not even 200K can be allocated to Virgin Gorda Festival. Every year its a scramble for the Committee to get itself in gear. Let’s hope that next year wont be the same dog and pony show.
For a man who could never remember past numbers and or revenues collected. How could he say invest in National Pride? National Pride does not require any investments of any sort it is a fabric of the society you are brought up in.
Over $1.2 million from our tax money and still make us pay to get in the village,
About $30-35 per person in the Territory
Put the money towards fixing the water problems
@ehat!!!!. Im not paying to go into tat village. EVER
Money for everything except fixing and improving the country lol
Still slaves to the incompetent gubmint, but celebrating emancipation. Keep them slaves happy with a little bit of rum,party and pussy and then back to the plantation. Idiots. All of us.
Just like any other nation under the sky, we deserve to celebrate our ancestral freedom. The things that could have waited were priority.
Good news. No loud music. No half naked women. No one grinding on each other in front of 12 year olds and young students. No aboard or local music artist singing about drugs sex violence and gangs to the youths.
Lol I’m fine with that.
Do a little reggae and fungi music.
Mr. Premier with all this money allocations, when will we see the money allocated for owed increments and the date for them to be paid? You really only care about partying
I agree!!!! PAY THE REST OF THE MONEY, ATLEAST PEOPLE COULD Have USE THE MONEY TO GO FESTIVAL! EVERY MINUTE MONEY IS PAID FOR ENTERTAINMENT BUT NEVER FOR INCREMENT.
WHAT!! No financial report from 2024. This is a WHOLE YEAR after the event.
Where is the fiscal responsibility?
Where is the transparency?
Who was the Festival chairperson?
Who is the person in charge of ensuring the financial report is done and submitted?
Why is it every year we go through the same thing?
This is our tax payers money being used and there is no accountability?
Craziness I tell ya!!!!