CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL
A Bit about the History of Carnival on St. Thomas
The very first Carnival on St. Thomas was February 14, 1912. Two years later, the second event took place in 1914 (not sure of the date). The early Carnival celebrations included activities that are still a part of current Carnival celebrations such as Carnival Queen, special games and the parades for children and adults.
After 1914, it would be 38 years before there was another Carnival on St. Thomas. In 1952 a radio personality, Ron De Lugo, was reminiscing about festival traditions. De Lugo sent out a call that Carnival should be revived. Some people in the community did not embrace the idea. At that time, the population was very aware of class distinctions and there wasn’t much social interaction. But De Lugo didn’t back down. Years later in an interview he noted that on Carnival parade day he feared that no one would show up. But people did show up, and Carnival has been a strong and proud annual tradition ever since.