2016 Virgin Gorda Easter Festival in limbo!
The funds for the Virgin Gorda Easter Festival come from the Ministry of Education and Culture via the Department of Culture.
No money, no event
The annual event is scheduled for March 26 to 29, 2016. Residents, some on the Virgin Gorda Festival Committee, and speaking to our newsroom on condition of anonymity, said “while we have started some meetings and planning it’s only so far you can go without money or a budget….deposits have to be made to confirm bands and events.”
When asked by our newsroom how come no money was allocated this year, the committee member said “well it’s not an election year so Virgin Gorda is on the back burner.”
When our newsroom suggested that maybe the Minister of Culture is waiting for the passage of the 2016 Budget to provide the monies, the person said, “Well our committee has been told for the past two months you will get funds next week….”
It is also our newsroom’s understanding that the Virgin Gorda Festival Committee still has outstanding bills from 2015. It remains unclear when those bills will be paid, or what effect they will have on the Budget for the 2016 event whenever monies are allocated.
Chairperson of the Virgin Gorda Festival Committee, Sasha D. A. Flax could not be reached for a comment before publication time.
Not election year, no priority for VG
One angry Virgin Gordian, who gave his name as ‘Joe’, said “if it was election Virgin Gorda would have done gotten the money and Myron would have been in our faces every day….that’s the way they treat people but God don’t sleep.”
When asked to elaborate on his outburst, he said “that’s all I have to say, plus our representative is not a fighter,” the middle aged man concluded.
Chairperson of the Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs Committee, Kishma A. Baronville could not be reached for comment.
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37 Responses to “2016 Virgin Gorda Easter Festival in limbo!”
Although is easier to sit back and make the government look bad, it also makes VG committee members look bad too. People let us stop cutting our noses to spite our faces and show the people of VG and the rest of the BVI that you care about the festivities.
Deal with the government on your own time but do not degrade and disgrace your culture or stoop to the low level of making things look bad. This festival no budget issue have been happening for years and because you have the advantage of knowing plan ahead for the sake of the festival.
Do not let our pride and selfishness ruin the tradition and culture. Look at the music fest, they took what was supposed to be a one year break and as of right now still a no show. VG committee do not let this happen to what is yours.
The Director of Festival & Fairs wants to control what happens in VG? This is BS!! Tortola gets a large sum of money for their festival. Why not VG? Carrot Bay, Road Town, East End all get international artists like DESTRA!!! Etc... now it's an issue because of who they are bringing. They've always treated VG like an outcast but it's ok, VG will rise again!!!