St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN); The Charlestown Waterfront was abuzz with activity Friday night (June 16) for the launch of Culturama 43 and reveal of pageant contestants.

The festivities began with a mini parade through the streets of Charlestown late Friday afternoon with pageant contestants on display, along with troupe costumes, and local entertainers.

Contesting the 2017 Miss Culture Queen Pageant are:

Kadejah Liburd- Ms. NEVLEC 

Khalitra Swanston- Ms. Carib Brewery (St.Kitts-Nevis) Ltd 

Donnella Dore- St. Kitts-Nevis Anguilla National Bank Ltd 

Merv-Ann Thompson- Development Bank of St. Kitts & Nevis 

Zarina Alcendor- Ms. FLOW

The 2017 Miss Culture Swimwear Contestants are:

Tereka Browne – Miss Clive Evelyn’s Construction

Stavena Lewis – Miss FLOW 

Monique Hall – Miss Nevis Solid Waste Management

Kachiana Robin – Miss F.I.T Wellness 

Theola Vanterpool – Miss Carib Brewery 

In an interview with WINN FM Nevis Culturama Chairman Antonio “Abonaty” Liburd explained that there will be no Mr Kool competition this year as the Committee only received two registrations.

The contestants for the Talented Youth Pageant were also absent from the launch. Liburd said because the Committee had launch the festival early, and the contestants are taken from the primary schools, the teachers did not wish for the students to be distracted while they were completing their exams.

The Culturama Chairman also informed that registration period for the Soca Monarch Competition ended Friday, and the deadline for registration for the Senior Kaiso Contest is the end of June. 

While only two J’ouvert troupes have registered so far, Liburd said the Committee saw increased interest from persons wanting to do troupes this year. So far they have six troupes registered for the Grand Parade.

A big part of Culturama is the venue for the various shows, the Cultural Village. The village was demolished and construction on the new structures continues apace. The Chairman said he got an update from the head of the project on Friday, who estimates the work will be complete within two to three weeks.

This year’s festival is set for July 27 to August 8, and is being celebrated under the slogan “Our Festival, Our Legacy, Nevis Culturama 43”.