St. George Village Botanical Garden Lights Up for the Holidays

St. George Village Botanical Garden Lights Up for the Holidays

Nov 25, 2025 | Island News

The are looking for the holiday season and pleased that the St. George Village Botanical Garden will have a special month long event running from Dec. 5 through Jan. 4. The “Garden of Lights” fundraising event will be open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to view gorgeous holiday lights throughout the grounds! As reported in the St Croix Source, colorful, twinkling lights will deck the garden along with artwork from local schools for the enjoyment of all ages as they stroll along the paths!

Opening night is Friday, Dec. 5, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Cocktail Walk will feature holiday cocktails, local cuisine, an auction, steel pan music, and the We Dey Yah Quadrille dancers. Children’s Night will be Friday, Dec. 12. Santa will be available for photos with children and families, and more. Read the article here for more information.

The botanical garden is a wonderful place to visit in the community year-round, so we are very excited to hear about the debut of their special Holiday of Lights event!

For tickets to the Garden of Lights Cocktail Walk at the St. George Village Botanical Garden, go to Eventbrite here.

St. Croix’s Crucian Christmas Festival 2025-26 Dates

St. Croix’s Crucian Christmas Festival 2025-26 Dates

Oct 21, 2025 | Island News

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Tourism and the Division of Festivals announced the official dates for the 2025–26 St. Croix Crucian Christmas Festival. From December 26, 2025, through January 3, 2026, the territory will be celebrating this annual holiday tradition and highlight the best of Crucian culture through music, food, parades, and community spirit.

Announcement:

“This year’s celebration is themed “Timeless Traditions in Every Mix,” and will feature signature events such as the Princess and Miss St. Croix Pageants, Calypso Monarch, Soca Monarch, Food Fair, and one of the Caribbean’s most exciting J’ouvert mornings. The festivities will culminate with vibrant parades in Christiansted, the Children’s Parade on January 2 and the always anticipated Adults Parade on January 3. Fireworks at Last Lap Village Night will close out the season in a stunning, sparkling fashion.“

For more information, please see the full press release here.

USVI Festivals – STX Poster 2025-26 with Schedule (PRNewsfoto/U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism)
The biggest, best Christmas party in the Caribbean

The biggest, best Christmas party in the Caribbean

Dec 19, 2024 | Community Events

The Caribbean Journal calls the Crucian Christmas Festival “the biggest, best Christmas party in the Caribbean” and we couldn’t agree more.

“Keeping Our Traditions & Culture Alive, Crucian Christmas Festival 2024-2025” is the winning theme for this year’s festival on St. Croix! Locals, residents and visitors alike wait patiently each year to revel in the festivities of Crucian Christmas Festival. Beauty pageants, 9 nights of the cultural village, parades, a food festival, j’ouvert, street tramps, live musical performances from local and international artists and much, much more are on hand to unfold from December 26th through January 4th.

Since 1952, the year the first Miss St. Croix Festival Queen was crowned, pageantry has been a central part of Crucian Christmas Festival. Festivities kick off with the ever-popular Prince & Princess/ Duke & Duchess/Junior Miss pageants at the festival village on December 26th. This year’s sole contestant for Miss St. Croix will also be crowned on stage on this night. This makes her one of 62 women to garner the title of Crucian Christmas Festival queen. The Calypso Monarch Competition and inaugural USVI Band Clash follow closely behind, taking place on December 27th and 28th respectively. The Band Clash will feature seven of St. Croix’s favorite bands competing for a $10,000 cash prize and bragging rights for the Best Band in the land.

The Festival Village is another part of this Christmas party in the Caribbean!

The Festival Village is recognized as the glue that keeps the festivities together. Held in downtown Frederiksted, this year’s village will officially open to the public on Friday, December 29th. The first night is Cultural Night where the richness of Crucian culture will be on full display. Expect live musical performances from Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights, RVP Band, It Is What It Is Band and international soca artist from Trinidad & Tobago, Kes the Band. With a different theme each night, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Other village highlights include Coney Island Carnival rides and games plus numerous booths serving local foods and drinks like johnny cakes & patés, conch in butter sauce with seasoned rice, souse and potato salad, sorrel, coquito, passion fruit juice and more.

This year, 2025 kicks off with an early morning dance party.

The name originates from the French words “jour” and “ouvert,” meaning daybreak or morning. On Wednesday, January 1st, revelers pour into the streets of downtown Frederiksted starting at 5am for j’ouvert. This spirited celebration continues into the late morning hours where people – both young and old – will dance for hours on end behind 8-feet tall music trucks as paint, water and powder cascade through the air. The next day, head to The Food, Arts and Crafts Fair on Thursday, January 2nd for a taste of authentic Crucian flavor. Here, the best Crucian chefs, cooks, and artisans showcase their sharp culinary skills. They offer local dishes like kallaloo, red peas soup, fish & fungi, vienna cakes, tamarind stew and other delicious treats. Crucian Christmas Festival culminates with the Children and Adult Parades on January 3rd & 4th complete with bright, colorful costumes, lively music, mocko jumbie performances, quadrille dancers and unlimited vibes!

For more information about 2024- 2025 Crucian Christmas Festival, visit USVI Festivals Facebook page at www.facebook.com/USVIFestivals.

Written by Anquanette Gaspard

Crucian Christmas Festival 2024-2025 Lineup

Crucian Christmas Festival 2024-2025 Lineup

Dec 18, 2024 | Community Events

We are excited for the Crucian Christmas Festival and promises to showcase the rich culture of St. Croix, with performances from local and regional artists! According to the VI Consortium, the V.I. Department of Tourism and the Division of Festivals have announced updates to the 2024-2025 Crucian Christmas Festival schedule and Village performance line-up.

  • Thursday, December 26, 2024 – St. Croix Festival – Prince & Princess Show
  • Friday, December 27, 2024 – Calypso Monarch Competition
  • Saturday, December 28, 2024 – Band Clash
  • Sunday, December 29, 2024 – Cultural Night
    • Performers: DJ Poppy Pops & Willy Chin, RVP, Stanley TSK, What It Is Band, KES
  • Monday, December 30, 2024 – International Night
    • Performers: Unlimited Sound, Triple Kay, Xpress Band, Kruziano, Los Maestros, Manny Manuel Orchestra
  • Tuesday, December 31, 2024 – DJ Night
  • Wednesday, January 1, 2025 – Soca Monarch
  • Thursday, January 2, 2025 – Flag-O-Rama Night
    • Performers: DJ Avalanche, Lips International, Exodus HD, Blind Earz, Bugz, Sisa, Problem Child, Karnage Temisha, Th3rd, Black Empire
  • Friday, January 3, 2025 – Reggae Night
    • Performers: Big Kat, Freeze Int’l, VI Collab (Jahman & Reemah), Luciano, Sizzla Kalonji, Aidonia
  • Saturday, January 4, 2025 – Madras Mas Night
    • Performers: DJ Karl, International Steven, Rudy Live & QC Deh Band, Trilla G, VIO Int’l, Pumpa, Machel Montano

Read the announcement on VI Consortium here or https://www.visitusvi.com/events/crucian-christmas-festival/

71st Crucian Christmas Festival

71st Crucian Christmas Festival

Jan 23, 2024 | Island News

The Crucian Christmas Festival is a very special celebration for us, we are always excited to see tourists and former residents return to St. Croix to participate in the array of unique events offered by the festival every year with residents on St. Croix. The Department of Tourism and Division of Festivals celebrated another successful Crucian Christmas Festival — St. Croix’s signature cultural event spanning twelve days with rich array of activities according the VI Consortium. For 12 days starting on December 26th, the festival showcased the island’s rich cultural heritage via many events such as the Prince, Princess, Dutch, and Duchess Show, the Queen Pageant, International Cultural Night, the annual Food Fair held at the Frederiksted Pier, J’ouvert, the Children’s Parade, the Adults Parade, and more!

The festival’s successful run culminated with a post-parade fireworks display and Uber Soca Night at the Frederiksted Village, featuring international AfroBeats star Davido and Caribbean Music Awards Soca Performer of the Year Mr. Killa. Read the full article on the VI Consortium here.