Do you travel for festivals? I do. From Oktoberfest and BBC Proms to Igloofest and Lollapalooza, I find myself drawn to destinations during times of celebration. Maybe it’s the locals they attract, maybe it’s the unique venues they’re usually held at — but festivals end up being some of my favourite travel memories. Most recently, I had a chance to visit an island that’s been on my bucket list for a lonnnnngg time to experience a music festival worth writing home about. I’m talking about Saint Lucia’s Roots & Soul Music Festival…
Held at Pigeon Island National Landmark (a 40-acre park), Roots & Soul is part of the Soleil Saint Lucia Summer Festival — a series of five events launched to celebrate the island’s rich cultural, ethnic and artistic heritage. And that it did. Within moments of stepping foot on festival grounds, I found myself bopping to sounds of Courts Babonneau Steel Orchestra, sipping on Chairman’s Reserve rum and learning about the history of the park (Pigeon Island played an essential role during the battles between the British and the French)…
Pigeon Island views from Sandals Grande St. Lucian. Photo c/o Sara Cation.
The locals said I HAD to try Chairman’s Reserve rum. So I did. Photo c/o Total Public Relations.
The three-day fest was a huge success in my opinion. Not only did they secure incredible headliners (Ja Rule, Ashanti, Beenie Man and Romain Virgo to name a few), but Roots & Soul was extremely well-organized — something that’s so essential to the overall experience of attendees. Everything from the food vendors and air conditioned restroom trailers to the flow of performances and security was on point. It was only the second year of the festival, but it felt like they’ve been doing it for decades given how smoothly it all went.
Local bites included everything from pork to octopus.
I was blown away by the length of each set was since some big names have been known to scale back at festivals. But not at Roots & Soul — at times it felt like the performers were each putting on a full-length show!! Such a treat for festival-goers. Oh, and did I mention tickets were only US$40?! Ahhhhmaaazzeee value.
The outdoor venue was perfect– not too big, not too small, soft grass beneath our dancing feet and fab acoustics (with no noticeable echoing)…
And although it felt remote, Pigeon Island is just steps away from Sandals Grande St. Lucian and a short drive from Royalton Saint Lucia and Windjammer Landing — all fantastic resorts to call home during the Roots & Soul Music Festival. The best part about a big celebration on small island? You may just stay with the stars! Yemi Alade was with us at Windjammer Landing, Ja Rule and Ashanti were with us at Royalton Saint Lucia and we spotted Beenie Man at Sandals Grande St. Lucian. Not sure any other festival can compete with this kind of access to the stars…
Hanging out with Beenie Man at Sandals Grande St. Lucian. Photo c/o Total Public Relations
Beyond the internationally-recognized headliners, it was really nice to see Saint Lucian artists like Shayne Ross, Stacey Iman Charles and Werner ‘Semi’ Francis kick off the concerts each night. The crowd loved the local representation. As did I. I’m also still thinking about Jamaican native Romain Virgo’s performance — if you haven’t heard of him yet, you will soon. The man is exceptionally talented…
Le sigh — this festival quickly became one of my favourites and will definitely be bookmarked in my calendar next year. If you can plan your vacation to sync up with Roots & Soul — DO IT. You won’t regret it. Orrrr check out one of the other Soleil Saint Lucia Summer Festival events like Carnival, the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival or the NEW Food & Rum Festival with celeb chef Marcus Samuelsson which is on my bucket list!
There’s so many ways to experience the Caribbean’s biggest summer festival so I really do hope you incorporate one of the celebrations into your travel plans. Saint Lucia itself is breathtaking, but adding a festival to your itinerary will give you an authentically local experience you’ll never forget.
A huge thanks to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority for hosting me on this press trip so I could experience the second annual Roots & Soul Music Festival. As always, reviews and opinions are entirely my own.
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