The National Carnival Queen Pageant, one of Saint Lucia’s most anticipated annual cultural events, is gearing up for its 2024 installment, bringing with it all the beloved fanfare that has made it a staple of the island’s summer calendar. From fiery social media debates between supporter groups to tense sponsorship competition and the time-honored inter-regional rivalries that draw audiences year after year, this year’s iteration is on track to deliver all the excitement pageant fans have come to expect.
Following a series of regional auditions, organizers have narrowed the field to nine finalists representing constituencies across the island: Ciceron (Castries South), Desruisseaux (Micoud South), Gros Islet, Mabouya Valley (Dennery North), Dennery South, and La Clery (Castries North). Castries South in fact boasts two finalists this year, Faith Edward and Sydney James, both hailing from the Ciceron community. Gros Islet is sending three delegates to the competition: Adel Montoute, Derrelle DuBois from Grande Riviere, and Simone Sonson from Reduit. The 2023 crown was claimed by Ermele Tisson, a contestant from Choiseul, who will pass on her title at the July 4 event.
The pageant has already garnered playful public attention from two sitting members of parliament, who have opened up about their regional loyalties in lighthearted interviews ahead of the main event. While many local politicians typically avoid picking favorites to keep an air of neutrality, both MPs have been open about where their loyalties lie, much to the amusement of pageant followers.
Dr Ernest Hilaire, Saint Lucia’s Minister for Tourism and Culture and the sitting MP for Castries South, spoke at the official sashing ceremony for contestants, noting that this year’s pageant has him more excited than he has been in any previous year. Joking with the audience, he quipped that his heightened anticipation had nothing to do with Castries South fielding two contestants from the Ciceron community, barely hiding his amusement as he made the tongue-in-cheek comment. Hilaire confirmed he will be in attendance at the July 4 finals to cheer for Edward and James, alongside all other competing delegates who he said he expects to deliver strong performances.
Kenson Casimir, Minister for Education, Youth Development and Sports and MP for Gros Islet, which is sending three contestants to the competition, has a long history of providing financial support to local delegates, and confirmed he will extend that support equally to all three Gros Islet contestants this year, with no preferential treatment for any candidate.
What makes Casimir’s support particularly notable is that one of his constituency’s delegates, Adel Montoute, is the daughter of Spider Montoute, Casimir’s former political opponent. When asked if he would favor Montoute less because of the family’s political history, Casimir was refreshingly honest. He told reporters he is openly rooting for a Gros Islet candidate to take the crown, and specifically said he would be overjoyed to see Montoute win.
Casimir explained his personal connection to Montoute: the candidate hails from Marie Therese Street in Gros Islet, the same neighborhood where Casimir was born and raised. Drawing on longstanding local tradition of inter-neighborhood rivalry within Gros Islet, he noted that he would be proud to see a candidate from his home street take the title, while also adding that DuBois and Sonson both have strong shots at victory as well. Speaking ahead of the pageant, Casimir shared that he is already counting down the days to the July 4 event, confident that his constituency’s delegates will put on a show to remember.