CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St. Thomas – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Virgin Islands Carnival Committee, Casil Callender said the annual event is so far moving along a successful path and activities are rapidly winding down.

The VI Carnival, dubbed a few years ago as the fifth best Carnival in the world by USA Today, is expected to realise a grand turnout for its Parade Day on Saturday, May 2.

“We are expecting about 60 troupes for the Adult’s Parade. Every year we have great participation and people are always amazed at the thousands of persons that participate in our Carnival,” Callender said.

The Children’s Parade will be held on the previous day (May 1) and Callender said that they are expecting 40 troupes to participate.

The Carnival activities will officially end on May 1 with a Fireworks Display and a Last Lap jam session.

Callender said that due to the downturn in the global economy, the turnout was not as large as those of previous years.

“But despite that, we still manage to host top notch shows,” he said. “The Virgin Islands has a great diversity of ethnicities and we had something for everyone as we tried to include as much groups as possible.”

A show, dubbed “Calypso Revue”, was held on April 25 and featured some of the popular calypsonians of the Caribbean including Swallow, Short Shirt, Crazy, Baron, Hunter and St. Kitts’ King Konris.

A Cultural Food Fair is scheduled for today (Apr. 29) and the J’Ouvert celebration is slated for tomorrow. This activity will be followed in the evening by the VI Lottery Local Calypso Competition.

The reigning Calypso Monarch, King Generic, will be defending his crown against 10 other contestants.

Callender said that the Carnival was revived in 1952 and has received worldwide publicity over the years.

He also said that the Virgin Islands is a member of the International Festival of Events Association where they have also gained a lot of publicity.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Echoes Through Time” and Kittitian Karence De Costa, who is presently residing in St. Thomas, was crowned this year’s VI Carnival Queen.