St. Croix Festival Royalty Crowned After 8-Hour Pageant

For eight hours on December 26, residents of St. Croix and the wider Virgin Islands were intently following their favorite contestants vying to be crowned Crucian Carnival Royalty for 2024-2025. The St. Croix Central High School's Golden Voices began the proceedings with the national anthem and Virgin Islands March, swiftly followed by the opening number featuring all contestants in coordinating black and white outfits. Dubbed as “a celebration where elegance meets creativity” by one of the evening's two emcees Elaine Jn. Baptiste, the evening of pageantry sought to judge contestants in various age levels based on deportment, attire in costume swimwear, and formal wear, and their ability to think quickly on their feet. Perhaps anticipating the long program ahead, organizers opted to begin with the question and answer segment – worth 100 points – immediately following their introduction (itself worth 85 points). Contestants were all required to wear white for this segment. Former ...