Vendors hail Christmas in the City a success as crowds flock event

The annual Christmas in the City event (formally Christmas on DeCastro Street) usually signals the beginning of the festive season in the BVI and the mood in Road Town was quite jubilant at the weekend as vendors from across the territory gathered to entice shoppers with goods.

Some vendors expressed that the event was very successful for them as a lot of people passed through on Friday and Saturday and interacted with their business.

The owners and operators of V.I Essentials Limited, a small business that specialises in ‘luxurious’ handcrafted soaps made from natural products said the two days were great to them as they received exposure for their business and also a lot of sales.

“Both days were really good for us as a number of people stopped by and checked us out to see what we were selling. We also had some of them buy some of our soaps so we are grateful for that,” one of the owners said.

Meanwhile, another vendor at the event said things started off relatively slow on Friday but then it picked up as the day went by and then everything got going on Saturday night when there were more crowds.

The vendor specialised in natural beauty and cleaning products.

“I had a steady flow of people coming through and buying stuff from my stall,” she said.

The third vendor that BVI News managed to speak with was selling toys and he noted he was thrilled with what he saw. He said he was happy both parents and children were out at the event buying things as they normally do in previous years.

The popular seasonal event took place on Shore Way Drive, across from the old traffic building in Road Town this year, and only lasted for two days instead of the usual three.

City Manager Janice Braithwaite-Edwards had said this year was focused on the business community getting a chance to participate. She had told our news team that last year during the COVID-19 restricted showcase, the business community had complained they were not being heavily involved in the annual staging. This contributed to them now relocating to the heart of Road Town for Christmas in the City.

The event saw numerous booths from different small businesses in the Virgin Islands including those that sold homemade beauty products, handcrafted toys, jewellery, food and several other goods and services.