St. John Festival Ends with Fireworks, Music

Tuesday, July 4, was packed full of activities as the St. John Festival came to a close.

Revelers filled the streets of Cruz Bay in the early morning hours for J’ouvert, kicking off the day’s festivities.

Later that morning, residents and visitors who lined the Cruz Bay sidewalks for the highlight of the St. John Festival celebration, the Fourth of July parade, were greeted with sunshine.

Almost 60 Parade Entries
This year’s parade was one of the biggest with nearly 60 entries, said Festival Village honoree Natalie Thomas.

“Our celebration has grown,” she said.

Parade marshal Robert O’Connor kicked off the parade as he sat smiling in the lead car.

Calypso music radiated from large speakers, and an endless stream of Virgin Islands royalty, majorettes and revelers in bright costumes adorned with beads, sequins and feathers jumped up with enthusiasm, entertaining the crowd.

Parade highlights included the Love City Pan Dragons, bouncing back and forth on their parade trolley, and the popular King Chaka Zulu Nation Troupe, dressed in African garb and dancing to drum beat music.

Emancipation Day Honored
One-man entry The Mighty Groover (St. Johnian Chester Brady) honored Emancipation Day, July 3, dressed as a newly freed slave, in ragged, torn clothes and shoes fashioned from an old tire.

Caneel Bay Resort celebrated its 50th year with a float resembling a cake in honor of the resort’s 50th anniversary.

Cruzan Rum and Virgin Islands Pale Ale handed out samples of their products to enthusiastic parade-goers.

Just after 9 p.m. that evening, fireworks lit up the sky over Love City as residents and visitors alike lined Cruz Bay beach and watched in awe.

Fireworks, Concert Close Festival
The show ended in a grand finale of brightly-colored fireworks exploding in unison to the crowd’s delight.

St. John Festival closed out later that night with a high-energy performance by Trinidad calypso band Traffik with Shurwayne Win-chester at festival village. Winchester sang his recent hits, “Dead or Alive” and “I Can’t Wait.”

The spirited crowd kept moving until the end.

There were no serious or violent incidents reported during this year’s St. John Festival celebrations.

Caneel Bay Resort places first, among local Floupes.

Majorettes from St. Thomas attended the event.

The Westin Resort maypole dances as part of their routine.

Festive parade participants danced through Cruz Bay.

Mocko Jumbie’s representing different countries strutted their stuff during the festival parade.

The Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Band partied and celebrated during the event.

Interaction with the crowd pleased tourists and residents alike.

Gypsie’s Troupe came from St. Thomas to participant in Love City’s Festival.