People already complaining about our festival spending — Premier
Concerns by some residents about overspending for this year’s Emancipation Festival have not gone unheard by Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley, and the territory’s leader said he plans to approach next year’s event with more community involvement in mind.
The Virgin Islands will observe its 70th annual Emancipation Festival in 2024 and the celebration promises to be grander, according to the Premier.
“I’m just very happy with the support [this year], and of course, we’re building momentum up to the 70th anniversary of festival, which is going to be even bigger and better,” Premier Wheatley said recently.
The right strategy
Dr Wheatley was asked whether his government will place additional resources into next year’s events after he confirmed previously that a million dollars had been allocated earlier this year to the Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs Committee.
“Well, people are already complaining about the money we’re putting in but we believe that it’s the right strategy for our tourism product for promoting our culture and our heritage and of course, leading up to the 70th [anniversary]” the Premier said.
According to Dr Wheatley, next year’s festival will be a big milestone, therefore, people can expect that the government will invest the required resources to make it an even bigger and better spectacle. However, he did not give any indication at the time of what those resources might look like.
But even as he promised a new structure for next year’s event, Dr Wheatley assured the public that there will also be conversations with members of the community about festival preparations and about what persons want to see taking place during the festival.
“We’re gonna be proposing a different structure, people will be able to work on the festival year-round. So leading up to the 70th, that’ll result in an even better celebration,” the Premier said.
He added that there were great numbers this year in terms of the turnout and said this is something that organisers need to build on.
The Premier further commented that he was also encouraged by the fact that this year marked the most amount of people he had ever seen at the festival village in Road Town.
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Don’t worry Sir, A year away is a long time to plan ahead
No Sir!! People complaining about the 260K you spend on the nonsense party and the money festival committee robs annually.
Geat strategy and right event to add more TO them pockts and BLIND ACCOUNTS
How will acoup attempt previl here?
Yeah we know. THE LIMEYS WILL COME IN GRINNING FROM EAR TO EAR WITH BLAZING GUNS, BOMBS AND THOUSAND YEARS TAKE OVER LEGISLATION AND LAWS, YO CHECK.
Natalio,
Can you please focus your energy on moving the territory forward:
– fight corruption (yes, your ministers are corrupt)
– fix the roads
– fix waste disposal
– fix education
– fix marine conservation
You are so busy with petty topics you are completely missing the bigger picture.
You don’t expect them to complain if they can’t even get water to bathe to go to the million dollar village?
Politics has no cause being involved planning in the festival, and there is no reason why members of a voluntary committee have to be paid. For instance They already get the perks of attending functions free. Contribute governmental funds, and move out of the way.
Now show me checks/balances after charging to enter villlage each night.pls do so to ease us
Scewed up priorities. No ethics – HELP
Mistake electing Lorna and mistake Lorna making he Premier
The two of them laughing at us. But like the old saying goes who laugh last laugh best. Our turn to laugh at all you coming soon. Real soon. We will have the last laugh.
A $250,000 NONSENSE CONCERT, followed immediately by a million dollar + “Festival.”
What is the Return On Investment on this unbelievable folly. Help this make sense, Madam Auditor. We await your audit report.
2 waste ah times
Do they really want the auditor results??. Auditors are endangered species. The robbers get a raise as the auditor is on forced reprimand.
Since you have enough money to party hardy I’ll send you the bill for a blown tire, bent rim, damaged suspension parts. FIX THE ROADS
Premier, is this your way of paying the people back for not electing your full slate back into office, or putting you back as Premier? It took Lorna’s need to fix that! Many of us know that she can do the job though. You keep showing us how you can waste our money. You tell us that you hear the complaints, yet you indicate to us that we can complain as much as we want you will do as you please. You show us that you can ignore our pleas for better roads, communication, education, water, electricity, while you approve of wasting money? Don’t tell us that these things takes time and money – we know that and that’s why we know of other ways the money could have been used! Not a non-stop concert, not weeks of partying! We have 3 days of holidays – use those and save money. Use those for exactly what they’re for – EMANCIPATION CELEBRATIONS. What exactly is festival these days?
It’s amazing that there is little to no parking in Road Town, yet the show must go on for weeks while people struggle to find parking. Electricity does not go off on a night when the party is in full swing but for hours when people need it in their homes! You refuse to censor, as you say, the artists that the people oppose but yet you compare your district planning committee and celebrations to the one in Road Town as if you have no responsibility for the entire Territory! Please focus on the needs of the territory – the NEEDS.