Hundreds of residents and visitors attended the annual Carrot Bay Cultural Fiesta, a three-day celebration that closed out this year’s August Emancipation Festival season with music, food, games and community events.
The village’s streets and waterfront filled with steel-pan rhythms, the clack of dominoes and the aroma of fried fish and johnnycakes as attendees marked the final days of the 16-day cultural celebration from last Thursday through Saturday.
For event chair Jabari Stoutt, the fiesta’s importance goes beyond entertainment.
“This is always one of my favourite parts of the year,” Mr. Stoutt told the Beacon Monday. “You see doctors, lawyers, chefs, parents, kids — everybody just relaxing together and enjoying the same local games.”
On the stage
Despite high temperatures, the entertainment programme ran as scheduled, with nightly sets beginning at around 7 p.m. and Friday’s “Rhythm & Reggae Night” running past its 2 a.m. scheduled finish, according to organisers.
The lineup last Thursday featured DJ Fire Blaze, Leon and the Hot Shots, Ah Milli Sounds, Razor Blades, Militant and UTB. Friday included DJ Lefty, Boss, Killa Tooma, Xclusive Sounds, D’Yani and Xtreme Band.
On Saturday, the “Festival Last Lap” featured The Association, Jam Band, Ova Drive, Duane Stephenson and Vibe.
Mr. Stoutt said the fiesta was among the hottest in recent memory but performers “did an awesome job” and marquee events held their crowds.
“They came out and did their best even though the heat was extreme,” he said.
Organisers praised
Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley, who attended the fiesta, praised the VI Festivals and Fairs Committee for a wider festival effort that he said was well organised despite limited preparation time.
“I’m very pleased, because the committee was not in place very long — actually just a few weeks,” Mr. Wheatley told the Beacon on Friday, crediting VIFFC chair Natalie Penn-Lake and committee leader Lynette Harrigan for strong leadership.
Mr. Wheatley said government aimed to keep this year’s festival budget near $1.5 million, with spending controls intended to maintain quality while preparing for milestone festivals like the 75th in 2029.
“I’m hopeful that government’s contribution stays somewhere around $1.5 million — no more than $1.7 million — but we’ll see how it goes,” he said. “In the past, we’ve budgeted way too low, and as a result we always go over. So we’ve tried to budget a little better.”
The premier noted that while the Miss BVI Pageant did not take place this year, organisers expect it to return in 2026.
“We are really building up momentum to the 75th,” Mr. Wheatley said.
Next year, he added, the 250th anniversary of the 1776 emancipation of 25 enslaved people in what is now Long Look will also be celebrated “in grand fashion.”
Come together
For Carrot Bay residents, the fiesta’s role as the festival’s final stop is a point of pride, according to Mr. Stoutt.
He added that the mix of cultural activities and informal community interaction helps preserve traditions and foster connections across social and professional boundaries.
“You see people from all walks of life just enjoying the same things,” he said.
As the sun set over Carrot Bay on the final night, the music, games and shared meals brought the 2025 August Emancipation Festival to a close — and set the stage for an even larger celebration next year.
