St. Kitts Music Festival 2023 – An Exemplary Showcase On The Global Event Stage
For us Brits and music lovers, the last weekend in June is usually one reserved for the Glastonbury festival but this year we opted for the sun and sea of the 25th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival 2023. With a lineup that boasted some of the biggest names on the global music scene, as well as burgeoning Caribbean talent – we were excited to see what the island of roughly 48k residents could achieve.
With GA tickets starting at $135 and all-inclusive VIP packages from $500, while the latter proved exceptionally convenient, and comfortable (and best value if you love rum and food as much as we do) – most fun was had amongst general admission. With numerous food and drink vendors, local sellers offering varying products and the festival’s unyielding commitment to attendee safety, many tourists partied freely and without apprehension amongst the crowd.
Click here to see full set of FAULTLess Festival Fashion over on our Instagram highlight reel
For the first time, the St. Kitts Music Festival 2023 went “420 friendly” with a large 18+only smoking area within listening distance of the main stage. With the consumption of cannabis illegal but decriminalised – politely drawing pesky smokers away from the crowded main-stage area was possibly the most significant unforeseen benefit of the space.
St. Kitts Music Festival is no stranger to global talent, with previous years boasting names such as Sean Paul, Ashanti, Lauryn Hill and Fetty Wap – with that being said, few musicians have ever achieved the runaway success Burna Boy and Koffee have experienced this past year. With the aforementioned Glastonbury festival undoubtedly knocking on their door, we’re glad they opted for St. Kitts instead.
Talent from across the Caribbean came out in force prepared to represent their home islands and put on an exciting show. We spoke highly of night one acts Nailah Blackman, Dexta Daps and Patrice Roberts respectively in our night one roundup and subsequent acts continued to give exhilarating performances throughout the remainder of the festival.
Standout international acts included night two’s Anthony B and his showcase of hits and fancy footwork while Govana and 313 Family sent the crowd into a frenzy with their respective performances. Romain Virgo wowed us with his stage presence and vocal mastery while Gramps Morgan (alongside his very talented sons) took us to church with his superstar crooning and uplifting positive vibes. During the press conference, Air Supply refuted claims that their music might seem out of place after their many years spent performing within the region and the great chorus of festival goers that delighted in singing along to their hits more than proved them correct – good music truly sees no age limit on the island of St. Kitts. Burna Boy was the talk of the town all week and while expectations pushed the bar narrowly out of his reach – he delivered a great show nonetheless.
The St. Kitts tourism board made no secret that the St. Kitts Music Festival was incepted to entice tourists to the island during an otherwise quiet season and while indeed – Burna, Koffee and Air Supply helped draw in the international crowds – the local reaction to homegrown favourites demonstrated the most heartening of attractions.
The closing night saw local talent Erica Edwards compete with international behemoths yet with her powerful vocal and superstar stage presence it was as though she channeled the tenacity of all young Kittitian talents fighting for their space at the music scene’s table and prevailed.
Young festival-goers beamed with pride to watch Byron Messia take to the stage on night two and in turn, he delivered the most memorable performance of the whole festival. Energetic, full of charisma and resolute commitment to doing his hometown proud – he proved himself deserving of the crowd’s adoration and is undoubtedly ready to flag-bear for St. Kitts on the international music scene.
The 25th St. Kitts Music Festival promised epic performances and we’re glad to say it delivered. There is no shortage of music festivals taking place within the Caribbean but there is a reason this one has prevailed for as long as it has. With great organisation and commitment to attendee safety – while the island may be small, they’ve proved themselves mighty with this festival.
Time will tell if the raised level of investment will prove economically fruitful, but for now, St Kitts has punched galaxies above their weight and won. Whatever comes next, they can always look back on 2023 as the year they rose to the mammoth challenge and passed with flying colours.