Events Director of the Dominica Festivals Committee Nathalie Clark-Meade says plans to host the 15th Annual World Creole Music Festival are going smoothly.

The festival is fifteen days away from its grand staging and Meade told a weekly press conference this week that while sponsors must be recognized for their efforts and patronage, the staff of the DFC should not go unnoticed.

She said there are several staff members who are working long hours and behind the scenes to ensure the success of the festival.

Meantime a new activity surrounding the Annual World Creole Music Festival has been given two enthusiastic thumbs up from the officials of the Dominica Festivals Committee.

Deputy Chairman of the Dominica Festivals Committee Sobers Esprit says Friday Dwivé which is held every Friday at the Krazy Kokonuts has been an excellent invention, creating a bigger buzz around the festival.

“We are celebrating our culture and our music and we are letting the world know what the WCMF is all about. We have achieved a lot. I want to say in a big way a thank you to the Festival Dweevay. It is a great invention and in many ways has helped the festival and I want to say thank you. This weekend we will have the swinging stars so we want the rest of Dominica to join us,” he said.

He said the festival is a team effort because it involves large number of persons working both behind and in front the scenes.
Meantime Proprietor of Krazy Koconuts Frankie Bellot is calling for more appreciation for the annual event.

“Everybody wants our festival but we have it and we don’t appreciate it. I don’t think government should be pushing the WCMF. Government should just be facilitating the way. It has to be the private sector. It’s about time we stop depending on government to do a festival that’s benefiting the entire country and the private sector.”

He said the WCMF is an engine of growth and should be adopted by the private sector.

Dominica Vibes News

With just twenty one days left before the staging of the 15th Annual World Creole Music Festival in Dominica, the Dominica Festivals Committee (DFC) has embarked on a series of press conferences which they hope will keep the public abreast of developments regarding the festival.

The event which is carded for the 28th to the 30th of October, 2011 at the Windsor Park Stadium is said to be on schedule and ready to go.

At the first press conference this morning held at the Calypso House in Bath Estate, Events Director of the DFC Mrs Natalie Clarke-Meade noted that there is a heightened awareness for this year’s festival which is reflected in the ticket sales so far.

“We have been making waves thanks to Digicel; the bigger better network partnering with us strongly this year with the Friday Dwives every Friday, I know that people have sat up and have taken notice of what we have been doing this year because of the ticket sales which have doubled to date. Last year 2010 at this time we have doubled our ticket sales this year at this time.”

She also described the festival as one which has drawn regional and international artists to Dominica while also creating a platform for creole cultures.

“The World Creole Music Festival has sought to create a platform where creole cultures and international artists perform in the exotic and secure ambiance of Dominica’s eco-friendly and nature island destination. It has drawn an international, regional audience to her shores and it has created a high end event for not just local people but people internationally,” she said.

Mrs Clarke-Meade also highlighted her vision for the festival is to see it maximize the enormous potential it possesses.

“It is my vision and my dream along with the officials of the Dominica Festivals Office and the Dominica Festival Board to take this product to a different place within the next fifteen years. We’ve had fifteen great years but it is time for it to go somewhere else and this is my dream as the Events Director of this product in particular which has such huge potential for the island to see that it goes there.”

She also noted that the ‘private sector and corporate partnership must become a critical component in making this niche event sustainable.’

Meantime Deputy Chairman of the Dominica Festivals Committee Mr Sobers Esprit told this morning’s press conference that there are good signs indicating the readiness of the DFC for the staging of the festival.

“I think there are good signs; the fact that the weather system came and gone, I think that is a good sign and we are going to have good weather on the 28th, 29th and 30th so I think that we are ready, we are there. Another great thing this year is that we have had early preparations, we’ve been at it from early, we’ve had very good feedback from the Dominican public and that is indicative of the fact that at this stage we have doubled our ticket sales.”

Manager of Digicel Dominica, the platinum sponsor for the seventh consecutive year of the World Creole Music Festival noted that his company has invested over three million dollars into the festival and have lived up to their tagline ‘expect more, get more’.

“From 2005 to 2011, Digicel has now invested over three million dollars in the World Creole Music Festival plus another million dollars in kind and activation of our sponsorship. When we launched, we launched with the tagline ‘expect more, get more’ and indeed Dominicans got more through major sponsorships like World Creole Music Festival and the recently launched Jazz Walk held at the Cabrits in the month of May. We also support other activities like ‘Dive Fest, numerous village feasts and of course the success story of the last three years, international cricket at the Windsor Park Stadium,” he said.

International stars such as Beenie Man, Machal Montano, Wyclef Jean, Elephant Man, Jah Cure, Morgan Heritage, Sakis, Carimi and Kassav have all graced the stage during the fifteen years of the festival’s existence.

Dominica Vibes News

Roseau, Dominica: September 15, 2011 — This Friday, the Dominica Festivals Committee (DFC) joins with a number of partners to launch a series of Festival Dwive’s at the Krazy Koconuts in Castle Comfort, in the lead-up to this year’s World Creole Music Festival.

The series of Festival Dwive which starts off this Friday, 16th September and every Friday until October 21st, with performances from local Bouyon band, Machine Creole along with Sakis Lapo Kabwit, is a joint initiative involving the DFC and several sponsors including WCMF Headline sponsor, DIGICEL; Courts (Dominica); Kubuli Beer; Krazy Koconuts and Gator Sounds.

The series will feature several well-known local musical bands and cultural groups, including Jeff Joseph, Midnight Groovers, Swinging Stars Combo section, Paix Bouche Cultural Group, Flamboyant Cultural Group, Waitukubuli Dance Theatre Company, WCK, and several Deejays (Mystic, Miguel and Wadix).

Patrons attending these Festival Dwive’s will be able to purchase festival season ticket at the special price of EC$250.00 during the three events on September 16, 23 and 30th. There will also be the opportunity to do tasting of the festival’s Official Whiskey, DEWARS Whiskey; as well as the chance to win Kubuli Beer six packs and branded merchandise from Digicel.

The festival Dwive’s will be brought to the public live on kairi FM and Q95 FM radio stations and SAT Telecommunications and live streaming by Comesee TV.

The 15th Annual Dominica World Creole Music Festival is scheduled for Windsor Park Stadium from October 28 to 30, and will feature acts such as Jeff Joe and his Gramacks/New Generation Band, Ali Campbell, the legendary voice of UB40, Gyptian, Carimi, Midnight Groovers, Jean-Phille Marthely and Jocelyn Beroad of Kasav fame, WCK, Swinging Stars, Bunji and Fay-ann, Third World and zouk love singers, Fanny, Jocelyn Labyll and Alex Catrin.

Press Release
Dominica Festivals Committee

September 9, 2011: Roseau, Dominica —- The Dominica Festivals Committee (DFC) along with DIGICEL… the bigger, better, network was slated to create a buzz for fans and patrons of the World Creole Music Festival at Portsmouth this Saturday September 10, 2011.

In light of Tropical Storm Maria coming close to our Northern shore we are rescheduling our activity to Saturday September 17th, 2011.

A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for this weekend.

On behalf of DIGICEL and DFC, we encourages all our patrons be safe and do look forward to the SPECIAL TICKET TRAIN next Saturday.

Press Release
Dominica Festivals Committee

Events Director of the Dominica Festivals Commission Natalie Clarke Meade is applauding the efforts of government for what she says is their ability to keep the World Creole Music Festival afloat for over fourteen years.

Clarke-Meade who was addressing the official launch of The Buzz-a new entertainment television show in Dominica-says most festivals fail after the first few years.

“The World Creole Music Festival is a prime example of that. It is now in its 15th edition; a festival that has had its challenges. That has changed and morphed throughout the years and is now getting ready to go into a different direction while maintaining its creole routes,” she said.

According to Mrs Meade, the World Creole Music Festival has been kept alive because the government has been able to maintain it for 15 editions, “I think we should applaud them”.

The World Creole Music Festival is widely seen as one of the only truly indigenous music event in Dominica and the Eastern Caribbean by extension.

This festival was conceived out of a need to provide a platform for Dominican musicians and musical expressions, and to increase the island’s visibility overseas.

The annual event was created in 1997 as a means of boosting tourist arrivals to Dominica and to increase revenue from stay-over visitors coming to the island for this celebration.

Dominica Vibes News

Roseau, Dominica: September 1, 2011 — Tickets for the 15th Edition of the Dominica World Creole Music Festival officially goes on sale, Friday 2nd September, with an event organized by the Headline Sponsor, DIGICEL… the Bigger… Better Network, and the Dominica Festivals Committee (DFC) outside of the Digicel Mobile Store on Great George Street, Roseau, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The DFC is offering patrons the opportunity at Friday’s event to purchase their season tickets for this year’s festival at the special price of EC$250 for the Three Nights of Pulsating Rhythms from October 28-30, at the Windsor Park Stadium. Season tickets for this year’s festival are priced at EC$325, with nightly tickets at EC$120.

Patrons and fans of the festival will also have the opportunity to win prizes and surprises at Friday’s event with DIGICEL which will be carried live on WCMF partner radio stations, Kairi FM and DBS Radio, from 2:00 p.m.

The 15th Dominica World Creole Music Festival will be staged at Windsor Park Stadium in Roseau. The headline acts include Haitian Compas Bands, Carimi and Harmonic; Jean-Philippé Marthely and Jocelyne Beroad of Kassav fame; Ali Campbell-the legendary voice of UB-40; Third World and Gyptian of Jamaica; Dobet Gnahoré of the Ivory Coast; Jeff Joseph and Grammacks New Generation Band; WCK, Midnight Groovers, Swinging Stars and Triple Kay of Dominica; a galaxy of Zouk-love singers from the French West Indies; and Soca superstars, Bunji Garlin ad Faye-Anne Lyons.

Press Release
Dominica Festivals Committee

Roseau, Dominica —- The Dominica Festivals Committee (DFC) is reporting heightened interest and a big buzz being created by fans and patrons of the World Creole Music Festival for the staging of this year’s festival, scheduled for October 28-30 at the Windsor Park Stadium in Roseau, Dominica.

The DFC is expressing its satisfaction over the response from fans of the festival, reporting a high level of interest with the line-up released for this year’s festival as well as with the plans outlined so far for the staging of this major event in Dominica.

According to DFC Event’s Director, Mrs. Natalie Clarke-Meade, plans for the staging of this year’s event are progressing satisfactorily, with the Events Management Team focusing on key functional areas, including finalizing arrangements for contracting bands and performing artistes, venue preparations, marketing and promotions, security, media relations, merchandising,  accommodation and air and ground transportation. Mrs. Clarke-Meade is also excited over the buzz being created so far.

And according to Mrs. Meade: “I feel people are expecting much from us this year and thanks to our platinum sponsor DIGICEL and many partners, this will become a reality. Patrons are anticipating quite an exciting time because of the line-up for this year’s festival. They are calling in to say how much they like the line-up, noting that it is a balanced one with something for Creole and music lovers. The DFC Office and its Board want to ensure we deliver a quality festival experience to our cherished patrons on this special anniversary year, giving them something worth their expectations”, the DFC Events’ Director said.

She however expressed the hope that “the challenges of the world economic crisis which is impacting not just Dominica, but the entire Caribbean would not reflect negatively on arrivals to our festival”, she explained.

Mrs. Meade reported also that “already hotels, airlines in and out of Dominica are filling up quickly during the month of October” and wants to encourage overseas patrons to make early bookings if they want to experience this unique music festival.

The 15^th World Creole Music Festival will run from Friday 28^th to Sunday 30^th October.  Night One: Alie Campbell (the legendary voice of UB40); Kolo Barst of Martinique; Harmonik of Haiti; Jeff Joseph and Gramacks/New Generation; and WCK; Night Two: Jean-Philippe Marthely and Jocelyne Beroard of Kassav fame with Band a Pipo of Martinique; Dobet Gnahore of Ivory Coast; Third World of Jamaica; Carimi of Haiti, and Midnight Groovers of Dominica; Night Three: Swinging Stars of Dominica; Zouk All Stars with Fanny, Jocelyne Labylle and Alex Catrin of Guadeloupe; Reggae superstar, Gyptian; Bunji Garlin and Fay-ann Lyons of Trinidad, and Triple Kay of Dominica. THANKS to our headline sponsors The Government of Dominica and DIGICEL…the bigger, better, network!

Press Release