Premier urges safety and fun for festival 2023

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has called on patrons of this year’s emancipation festivities to come out to experience events enjoyably and safely.

The theme for this year’s emancipation festival celebrations is “It’s a cultural jamboree so let’s fete and be free for Festival 2023.”

The Premier expressed that the festival belongs to the people and reminded persons that it was taxpayers’ funds that paid for the festival.

“So I say to you, enjoy yourselves. Make sure you make use of your tax money ’cause this is your tax money. So make sure you make good use of it and enjoy yourself,” the Premier said this week during the festival’s official launch.

Even as he called on people to enjoy themselves, the Premier acknowledged that not all events will be enjoyed by everyone. “We have events for everyone and it is important that you participate in your festival,” Dr Wheatley said.

“If you don’t favour one lineup of artists one night, you can always come on another night. And there’s many, many, many activities for you to enjoy. Not just the village, of course, you have the Miss BVI pageant. I encourage all of you to come to the Miss BVI pageant. It’s going to be a wonderful occasion.”

Premier Wheatley also addressed concerns shared by some persons who felt there was a continued erosion of the Virgin Islands’ culture in the emancipation festival celebrations.

“We have, of course, persons who are speaking about the loss of our culture. I want to invite you to our cultural activities at Carrot Bay. I want to invite you to the cultural activities that’s gonna be taking place on August Wednesday on the East,” Premier Wheatley said.

He continued: “I want to encourage you to our food fair, and I want to see those places packed because if you have concerns about ensuring that our culture is alive and well, you’ll make sure that you pack those events where we are celebrating, in full effect, our Virgin Islands culture.”

The territory’s leader also called on persons to turn out at the Sunday Morning Well, where the annual Emancipation Service will be observed at 4 pm on Emancipation Sunday.

“We want to make sure, above all, that we reflect on the sacrifices of our ancestors, who were enslaved, who were chained, who were whipped,” Premier Wheatley said.