Marva Williams, Chief Executive Officer of the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA), has hailed her team’s exceptional performance in delivering the 26th iteration of the iconic World Creole Music Festival (WCMF), a three-day musical extravaganza that lit up Windsor Park Sports Stadium from October 23 to 25. This year’s lineup boasted a star-studded roster of global and regional talent, including multi-platinum American R&B artist Ne-Yo (real name Shaffer Chimere Smith), Trinidadian soca legend Machel Montano, reggae icons Capleton and Maxi Priest, dancehall star Alkaline, beloved Dominican bouyon performer Asa Bantan, and Haitian compas band Klass, among many other celebrated acts.
In her post-event review, Williams highlighted notable operational improvements that directly addressed longstanding feedback from festival attendees, particularly the streamlined transitions between performances that had previously drawn complaints for lengthy delays. She noted that while the entire event was not without minor imperfections, the on-site entry experience had been nearly perfected, with zero formal complaints submitted by patrons regarding access processes this year.
Williams emphasized that the DDA operates on a continuous improvement cycle for the annual event, conducting full post-mortems after each edition to identify gaps, refine workflows, and elevate the overall attendee experience year over year. She underscored the rarity of the WCMF’s 26-year legacy, noting that the festival would have already marked its 30th anniversary if not for interruptions from natural disasters and the global COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike many other Caribbean regional festivals that have faced declining attendance, rebranding, or full revamps to stay viable, the WCMF has retained its unique core identity rooted in Creole cultural heritage, a distinct feature that sets it apart from competing events across the region.
Responding to circulating public concerns that the festival was drifting away from its Creole cultural origins, Williams firmly refuted the claims, explaining that new complementary elements added to the program are designed to expand the event’s reach, boost global visibility for Dominica as a tourism destination, and strengthen the festival’s long-term relevance, rather than dilute its foundational Creole identity.
Williams acknowledged that this year’s staging presented unprecedented operational hurdles, far different from the landmark 25th anniversary celebration held the previous year. She attributed the unusual challenges to widespread global external factors impacting events and travel worldwide, including growing public anxiety around international travel and sharp spikes in diesel and gasoline costs that have driven up airfare prices, limiting the number of regional and international attendees able to travel to Dominica for the event.
DDA CEO praises WCMF 2026 team, defends festival’s Creole identity
