Virgin Islands ring in the New Year

Residents and visitors alike welcomed the New Year last week with fireworks, music, carnival rides and more across the territory.

Major celebrations included parties at Foxy’s Tamarind Bar on Jost Van Dyke, the Trellis Bay Market Bar and Grill on Beef Island, and the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park on Tortola.

Besides giving residents different options, such events “allow the territory to be marketed a little differently” to tourists, said Zoe Walcott, the deputy CEO of Tortola Pier Park Limited.

In Road Town

At the pier park event, Ms. Walcott said, attendance numbers exceeded last year’s crowd of some 3,000 people.

Festivities began at 7 p.m., and attendees enjoyed entertainment options including local bars and restaurants, carnival rides, movies and live music.

“We did have a bit more of what is considered VI cultural music to kickstart things,” Ms. Walcott said. “Then we sort of moved that into an evolution of different VI music — sort of like an all-star cast.”

Among the artists who took the stage were Monéa, Revelation, VIBE, Xtreme, Ova Drive, Xclusive Sounds, Razor Blades and The Association.

Ms. Walcott described the festivities as a success, and she’s already brainstorming ways to improve the event for the coming year.

“Next year, we’re expecting that we will expand our reach to be way more inclusive of a number of the businesses throughout the Road Town area — I want to say surrounding the harbour,” she said.

The night was punctuated by fireworks illuminating the sky over the harbour as the clock struck midnight.

Trellis Bay

The pier park was not the only place that rang in the New Year with fireworks.

Trellis Bay Market Bar and Grill drew in crowds with a firework display and live music by DJ Bon, VG Tyga, Selecta Taz and CP4 Band.

In addition, attendees enjoyed shows by moko jumbies and fire performers.

The BVI Optimum Sky Dancers gave a “memorable experience with a lot of different tricks for the evening,” said Molly Penn-Maduro, a manager at the Trellis Bay Market.

The fire show was a success as well, with a “unique, explosive” finale, she added.

About 1,000 people came out to celebrate, including many families, Ms. Penn-Maduro said.

“We got a lot of dinner persons and a lot of an early crowd, but it just slimmed off a bit during the later hours in the morning,” she said. “But it was still a great event. It was family friendly. We had a lot of kids that came out with their parents, and that’s always the joy for us too.”

Children also played games such as dart-pop-the-balloon, according to Ms. Penn-Maduro.

Foxy’s

While Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke did not set off fireworks, attendees who came to celebrate at the bar’s annual “Old Year’s Night” party took part in a countdown to midnight after an evening of live music, food and drinks headlined by Jamaican reggae band Third World.

About 1,500 people came to the event, which went “smoothly,” according to Tessa Callwood, who owns the establishment with her husband, Foxy Callwood.

“It’s just always a party,” Ms. Callwood said with a laugh.

She added that such events are a good example of events tourism that features “something for tourists and to attract the tourists.”