by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN) – Just two months until the historic hosting of the Federation’s 25th St. Kitts Music Festival, and the Festival officials have announced which artists are performing on which night for the three-night marquee summer event.
The 25th hosting of the St. Kitts Music Festival from June 22-24, 2023, moves back to the Warner Park Cricket Stadium.
SKMF Chairman Allister Williams, on the April 19 broadcast of WINN’s Island Tea, shared the reason why the festival was moved back to Warner Park.
“We feel that Warner Park as a modern facility was designed to accommodate large international crowds. There’s quite a lot of amenities at the park, amenities that are necessary for a successful festival. In the whole infrastructural build-out, it is much easier to operate at Warner Park, less expensive; I might add and given that the festival is a huge undertaking and an expensive undertaking, we try as much as possible to see how we can cut costs in order to ensure that our patrons at the end of the day get the best benefit.”
Despite the SKMF operating expenses skyrocketing as the Chair describes it, the general admission tickets for the festival have remained at $US50 to ensure anyone who wishes to attend has the opportunity to see world-class acts.
“It is in Basseterre, so it is easily accessible. We have ample parking. So there’s a lot of plus for going back to Warner Park, and we hope that our patrons will enjoy the facility. Of course, we are in discussions with various providers to transform the whole area, so we want from the time you enter the gates you to feel the vibes of the festival, you feel the excitement, and so the performances will just be an added incentive.”
As announced by the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Marsha Henderson, this year, the Music Festival will be Cannabis friendly, and many have wondered what that means.
“The minister has put in place a small working committee to explore ways on how we can establish a 420-friendly area at Music Festival, and it [bodes] well for tourism because quite a number of visitors come to various destinations because they want to experience those kinds of things. We don’t want to be left behind. We are venturing, as we said, Venture Deeper, so we are venturing into the medical cannabis industry. The Music Festival will be a sort of pilot project to see how best we can manoeuvre our way in the old scheme of things. We want to introduce a 420 lounge or viewing area so that those [individuals] who wish to smoke can do so comfortably” – SKMF Chairman Allister Williams.
Based on the rudimentary plans of the St. Kitts Music Festival and the Ministry of Tourism, they wish to create a space where smokers can indulge without affecting non-smokers. The buildout of such plans is left to be seen as preparation for the 25th hosting of the St. Kitts Music Festival continues.
