The Anguilla Government is supporting the August summer festival for several reasons. One, it is rooted in the celebration of freedom from slavery and this year in particular is significant as it marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

Mr. John Benjamin (extreme right) with other committee members. Permanent Secretary, Rodney Rey at extreme left

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Culture, Rodney Rey said: “The summer festival is also an expression of the creativity, talent and resourcefulness of our people. We support the festival because it provides an exposure for artistes and the other pioneers of other cultural industries and this is a growing area of economic activity which we intend to give more prominence to. The Government is also supporting the summer festival because it is a significant revenue earner in the two-week period.”

He noted that the direct investment was 1.5 million dollars but in terms of the multiplier effect in the business community it could run in ten million. “Our support is tangible and this year the Government has included in its recurrent budget a direct grant of $700,000 for the carnival activities. A sum of $270,000 has been included in the capital budget for further upgrades to the Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre. The budget also includes $100,000 for the boat racing activities, an integral part of the summer festival.” He appealed to the business community to support the festival by way of various sponsorships.

Chairman of the Summer Festival Organising Committee, John Benjamin, thanked the Anguilla Government for its generous contributions over the years and for clearing up, last year, a lot of the debts. He said when he first became involved in the carnival events in 1990 Government’s contribution was $10,000.

“The huge jump to $700.000 shows the importance that the Government is now placing on the summer festival,” Mr. Benjamin went on. “It is no longer a step cousin but a full member and full fledge member of festivals. We appreciate the support and give special thanks to Mr. Rodney Rey because he understood our concerns. We also thank the Government which is also understanding the significance of the festival to Anguilla as our cultural heritage.”

Mr. Rey thanked the members of the 2007 summer festival committee “for volunteering their time, energy and expertise to organise and produce the island’s premier cultural festival and visitor attraction extravaganza.” The committee’s members are working in association with the festival office of the Anguilla Tourist Board and were approved by the Executive Council.

He announced their names as follows: Mr. John Benjamin (returned as Chairman); Fiztroy Tomlinson, Festivals Coordinator, with responsibility for the August Monday celebrations; Gecheal Richardson-Gumbs, Financial Coordinator/Deputy Chairperson; Joan Richardson, Festival Office assistant; Lisa Webster, Chairperson for the opening night sub-committee to be assisted by Myrna Sasso and Shane Thompson; Renford Kelsick, Prince and Princess sub-committee; Chericia Lewis (employee of the Caribbean Commercial Bank), chairperson of the CCB’s Talented Team sub-committee; Courtney Morton, Calypso Monarch; Maribelle West, chairperson of the Miss Anguilla Queen Pageant; Joseph Vanterpool, Leeward Islands Calypso; Horace Archie (Chief Fire Officer) responsible for safety and security; Asher Brooks, Junior Calypso competition; Calvin Hughes, chairman of the Female Calypso/Vendors sub-committee; Roy Carty, Parade of Troupes; Collette Jones, Junior Parade; and Hulio Carty, chairman of the Boat Racing sub-committee.
The summer festivities will be preceded by a number of events during the month of July. These will include the Calypso Quarter Finals, the 4th Miss Tiny Tots Pageant, the Calypso Semi-Finals and the Female Calypso Semi-Finals (all four arranged in conjunction with the Anguilla Tourist Board). The other pre-carnival events will be Miss Ecstasy and Miss Anguilla Swim-Suit and Costume competition.

The actual summer festival events will be as follows: Thursday, August 2: Official Opening & Fireworks Display; Friday, August 3: Soca Classic II; Saturday, August 4: Kiddies Parade; Sunday, August 5: warm-up boat race at Sandy Ground and the Prince & Princess Show at Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre; Monday, August 6: J’ouvert Morning, the August Monday boat race and Caribbean Beach Party at Sandy Ground; Tuesday, August 7: Island Harbour boat race and CCB Talented Team competition; Wednesday, August 8: Sandy Ground boat race and Calypso Monarch finals, August Thursday boat race at Meads Bay and the Miss Anguilla Queens Pageant at Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre; Friday, August 10: Parade of Troupes; Saturday, August 11: Sunrise street jam sponsored by Cable & Wireless; and the Leeward Islands Calypso Competition; and Sunday, August 12: the Champion of Champions Boat Race followed by the grand finale & fireworks at Sandy Ground.

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