Carnival on St. Thomas celebrates 72 years in 2024, and the celebration is on! In the early days of April, crowds gathered for pageants choosing Carnival royalty. Musicians struck up the band for calypsonians at the Ruth Thomas Auditorium for the Buoy Ah Buoy, Man a Big Man showcase.
And Monday night was a time for friends and family as the annual Carnival Hospital Show played out on the grounds of the Roy L. Schneider Hospital.
The show became part of the Carnival schedule when organizers considered the patients and the elderly on island. If they could not come to the festivities, the then-Carnival Committee said festivities could come to them.
Schneider Regional Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Tina Commissiong welcomed the guests, including newly-crowned Carnival Queen Majestik Estrada-Petersen and her court.
“I know the exciting performances that are scheduled for tonight will take us on a cultural tour like never before,” Commissiong said. “At SRMC, we embrace our rich history and we celebrate our rich culture. We are delighted to host this event on our campus.”
Lillian Garfield opened the show with a prayer. The hospital chief also thanked the workers for the hard work and service they perform daily.
The event also gave enterprising staff members a chance to offer snacks and treats from their food service stands, a recreation of last year’s Hospital Food Fair.
Tourism Department’s Division of Festivals Director Ian Turnbull kept his greetings short as When Band began tuning up. Anticipation began building among those seated at the hospital’s entrance
Seated among the guests was the 2023 Parade Grand Marshal James Lewis. A longtime employee at the Legislature, Lewis said he’s enjoyed hospital shows year after year. “You can get a variety. Coming here is like a mini village — Carnival Village. You can see the vendors, they have a band, a photographer, the seniors and the people in the hospital who don’t have that opportunity,” Lewis said.
Then came the moment all had been waiting for: the mini Carnival parade streaming past the main lobby entrance, including an appearance by Charming Twirlers dressed as nurses’ aides.
Commissiong congratulated the hospital staff team that worked with the Division of Festivals to make the event come together as this year’s fete strives to live up to its theme: “A Cultural Tour Like Never Before, St. Thomas Carnival 2024.”
