St Lucia Holidays - Event

St Lucia's Rose Festival honours the regal flower with colourful street parades and a royal kingdom complete with king, queen and dignitaries. The proceedings take place on 30 August every year, on the Feast of Saint Rose De Lima.

Every Saturday night for around a month before the festival, people don last year's fancy dress and meet for all-night singing and dancing sessions to raise money for the new year's costumes.

At the Grand Fête, the shatwel (lead singer) kick starts the music. Drums start beating, guitars start playing and the shak-shaks (similar to maracas) start shaking. The exuberant party continues well into the next day.