BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WHILE thousands chose to don red T-shirts and jerseys to march through the streets of Basseterre in carnival-style with musical accompaniment in celebration of this year’s International Labour Day, many others settled for a quieter atmosphere by just relaxing and taking it easy at the People's Action Movement (PAM) May Day Fair.
The Fair was held yesterday (May 5) at the PAM’s Headquarters at Lockhart Street and saw adults young and old, as well as children of all ages out in their numbers enjoying breakfast, mingling and just having a good time.
The May Day Fair is in celebration of 'Workers' Day' which is a holiday set aside for the working population to kick back, relax, socialise and enjoy a special day that was given in honour of those persons who had toiled hard during the year.
The event kicked off around 7:00 a.m. with a very large crowd coming out for breakfast. Mid-day it picked up with persons stopping by to purchase mouth-watering lunch and some of them remained at the venue and 'took a load off’ while engaging in conversation, playing dominos and chilling at the bar with drinks in hand.
The event climaxed with the sounds of the 'sweetest band in the world', the Small Axe Band, which rocked the crowd late into the night with some of their popular Carnival tunes, including 'Hardware'.
SKNVibes spoke with Deputy Leader of the PAM Eugene Hamilton who explained that the event was deemed a success because, despite the many bands on the road for the Labour Day March, many still made their way to Lockhart Street.
He further explained that, unlike their political opponent, May Day for them is not one lined with heavy music until late into the evening because it is a day for workers to sit back and enjoy a day away from work.
"We are not like our opponents who think that the Workers Day is their Labour Party Day," he said.
Hamilton stated that the PAM is not a party formed out of a union, therefore its members do not engage in marches, adding that it should not be politicised but rather represent the workers because it is their day.
