Government Commits EC$2.5 Million to St. Kitts Music Festival

(ZIZ News) – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, through the Ministry of Tourism, has pledged its full support to the St. Kitts Music Festival.

On Thursday morning, Tourism Minister Hon. Lindsay Grant confirmed that the government will cover the cost of the festival, which ranges from EC$2 million to EC$2.5 million.

He said before making a decision, the government carefully considered the economic impact the festival would have on the island.

“According to the figures I have received, is that the economic impact over the three-day period of the music festival appears to be in the region of $2.5 million so that what it is saying is that over the three days, that’s Thursday, Friday, Saturday, between accommodation, ticket sales and patron spending, that’s the eating at restaurants and whatever, it appears to be somewhere in the region of $2.5 million and I think that’s very significant over a three-day period in terms of the monies that are injected into our local economy,” Grant explained.

When asked about gate receipts for the festival, Chairman Faron Lawrence said the festival normally generates approximately EC$800,000 from ticket sales.