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A scene from Nine Nights of Lights 2022. (Photo: Facebook/The St. Vincent Botanical Garden Nine Nights of Lights)
A scene from Nine Nights of Lights 2022. (Photo: Facebook/The St. Vincent Botanical Garden Nine Nights of Lights)
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The National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority is promising that this year’s Nine Nights of Lights will shine even brighter than before.

The ninth edition of the festival kicks off on Friday at the Botanical Gardens in Old Montrose and runs through Dec. 23.

It will include a carolling contest, a night of praise, dance under the stars and the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force Band night, movie in the garden night, XMas on Steel, and Upstage, botanical harmonies night.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Parks Rivers and Beaches Authority, Gideon Nash said this year’s Festival promises to be bigger than last year’s and encouraged Vincentians to attend each of the nine nights to celebrate the festival.

Chairperson of the Nine Nights of Lights Committee, Calisha Solomon, said patrons can look forward to a spectacular festival as millions of lights will be on display this year.

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Chairman of the National Nine Mornings Festival Management Committee, Oronde Bomani Charles pledged his committee’s commitment to the Nine Nights of Lights Festival as they work together to make St. Vincent and the Grenadines the destination for Christmas.

Public Relations Officer of the Nine Nights of Lights Committee, Twanique Barrow said the committee has spent over $48,000 on lights this year and in addition to the lights, the Kids Zone will return this year to provide added attraction for the children.

She said one of the added features of the nights will include a Nine Nights of Lights Christmas Market where vendors of food and beverages, gifts, local products, beauty, fashion, and services will display and offer for sale their products and services.

Nine Nights of Lights, which is widely regarded as the nightly version of the Nine Mornings celebration which is unique to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, is the brainchild of the Curator of the Botanical Garden, Gordon Shallow.

The idea for the event came about in 2014 during a committee meeting for the 250th anniversary celebration of the Botanical Garden, which was held in 2015.