2015 The Opening of Carnival Village: St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands

Grapo’s Art Gallery

Grapo’s Art Gallery

Governor Mapp about to the cut the ribbon.
Welcome to Culture to the Extreme, Virgin Islands Carnival 2015!
Carnival in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands is one of the most festive times of the year. This is an annual celebration that occurs throughout the entire month of April and sometimes trickle into the first few days of May. Luckily for carnival goers, there are countless events to engage in. Some of the activities are the Prince and Princess Show, The Carnival Queen Show, Calypso Competitions, J’ouvert, the Children Parade and the Adult Parade.
Put your dancing shoes on because tonight we are heading to the Opening of the Carnival Village in the Fort Christian Parking Lot in Downtown Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands!
The village was officially opened after Cleve “Grapo” Turnbull, Village Honoree was recognized by both Carnival and Government Officials for his outstanding contributions to the community of the Virgin Islands. He was posthumously an artist who created, designed and painted the beautiful murals for the stage in the Lionel Roberts Stadium for many years.
Once the yellow ribbon was cut by Governor Kenneth Mapp, Carnival Village was officially opened.
This year, the theme of the village is Grapo’s Art Gallery. This was artistically expressed through the hand painted designs on all 33 colorful booths. Delicious Food and drinks are sold at the booths. The booths encircled the village in a rectangular form with a large open space in the middle.
In the center of this space, is a well-lit stage and hundreds of people who gathered around to listen and watch an array of concerts. There were performances throughout the night by popular Calypso and Soca Artists and bands such as Red Lion Sounds, Milo and the Kings, WCK, Spectrum Band and Roy Cape featuring Blaxx.
The western side of Carnival Village is a mini amusement park. There are rides of all kinds that make you scream when you go on them. You can snack on freshly spun cotton candy, popcorn and decorative candy apples. There are also lots of opportunities to win a huge teddy bear by winning one of the carnival games. On the outskirts of the village, vendors sold hats, shirts and toys for children that has sound effects and lights up!
The opening of Carnival Village is loads of fun and the best part is that there is something fun to do for people of all ages. The hours of operation are from 6:00pm-3:00am and it will be open every night until May 2nd.
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Booth #18 won 1st place exemplifying the theme of Grapo’s Art Gallery in Carnival Village

I am hoping to win a big teddy bear at this carnival game.
Loved the article Africah I am so ready for Carnival! We will compete to see who wins the biggest teddy lol!
This blog post is lovely Africah. The entire carnival idea you’ve described sounds wonderful lol. One of the reasons it caught my attention is because drawing is one of my favorite past times. To be able to view the art work of others in your pictures is amazing. It is also cool to see how the use of various colors can create a beautiful picture.
You’ve mentioned, “This year, the theme of the village is Grapo’s Art Gallery. This was artistically expressed through the hand painted designs on all 33 colorful booths. Delicious Food and drinks are sold at the booths. The booths encircled the village in a rectangular form with a large open space in the middle.” and man do I think this is the place to be. I enjoy looking at the art work of other individuals it helps open up my imagination as to what I can draw next. .. Now I’m ready to grab my sketch book, paint palette, and other drawing tools and create the perfect picture.
This blog post is the bomb & I must say you look beyond stunning in every picture that you’re in. Keep Inspiring and broadening minds the positive way as you do already. Muah! <3
AFRICAHHHHH, I LOVEEEE YOUR BLOG! ITS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED, YOU’RE A SUCCESS…
Carnival sounds like the best thing ever, I love Carnivals.. the title alone caught my attention lol except I’ve never been to a carnival in St. Thomas before but I’m sure theres nothing like it and I truly hope to one day be able to visit someday especially during the time of year when carnival is in session and eat some of the delicious foods served. The pictures are beautiful.. Its truly amazing what artists can do and The amusement park idea of it all sounds great I enjoy amusement parks lol.
Africah keep posting I Love to read all your posts and stay Cute because I think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world.
I’m coming!!!!!