Union Island Easterval 2013 hailed a big success

The 2013 Union Island Easterval festivities are being hailed a success by chairman of the Easterval committee Abdon Whyte.{{more}}

And with that, Whyte says his committee is wasting no time in getting back to the drawing board, in preparation for next year’s event.

Whyte told SEARCHLIGHT that a few new elements were added to this year’s activities to ensure more participation by the locals.

One such initiative was the implementation of an event called the “Labulay” – a traditional cultural activity.

Whyte explained that the event brought the communities of Union Island, Petit Martinique and host Union Island together for activities such as singing, dancing and folklore.

“This was not a scripted event, so persons could have come and showcase their talents,” Whyte said.

He also said that the Sea Food festival was a major hit, with approximately 15 vendors serving up some mouth-watering delicacies of the sea.

In highlighting some other changes to the Easterval’s line up, Whyte said they pushed back the Miss Easterval pageant from March 30 to March 31, because of a clash with another event which took place on the 30th, not too far from the Ashton hard court, where the pageant was being held.

However, Whyte disclosed that the change worked out for the better, stating that more patrons turned out the event on Sunday, than in years gone by when the event was held on a Saturday.

“With the change, the show proved itself to be bigger than last year’s. I think more people turned out this year since the show was held on a Sunday instead of a Saturday, which might have hindered them from attending church the next morning in the past…,” Whyte said.

He added that their Soca Fest was also “successful”.

Over the weekend, persons took part in sack races, lime and spoon races, food eating competitions and sporting events.

The organizer explained that from what he’s been hearing, persons are of the opinion that this year’s show was one of the best in recent years, especially with the addition of Antiguan based soca band Burning Flames.

“The Soca Fest for us is a big success, and based on the response of the people, we want to go to the format of bringing bands and adding an artiste to complement the show…,” Whyte told SEARCHLIGHT.

He also mentioned that their J’Ouvert and Monday street party were also successful.

“In my opinion, it was one of the most enjoyable Easters in years. Persons actually enjoyed every moment of the festival. It was definitely one of the most enjoyable…”

As efforts continue to strengthen the Easterval festivities, Whyte said he, his committee and executive plan to focus more on the cultural aspect of the Easterval.

“We are going to spend a lot of time with the local groups to see how much we can improve. We notice that the cultural part is lacking and we just want to invest a lot of time and resources in developing that aspect of the festival,” Whyte said.

The Easterval festivities ran from March 23 to April 1.(KW)