By Stacy Gomez

Who doesn’t love a parade? Here in St. Croix, we have parades that will please everyone! One of the biggest parades of the year (and a favorite to most) is the Three King’s Day parade. This parade is held on the Saturday before January 6th as a culminating event from the Crucian Christmas Festival events. Many people would probably agree that on this day, the island of St. Croix leans more towards Fredericksted, since this is an event that is highly attended by many locals and “transplants” alike.

Every year, “troops” (groups of dancers) meet months before the parade to plan and design elaborate, colorful costumes that will delight and amaze parade goers. The morning of the parade, the excitement builds as people begin lining the streets and claiming their space to view the parade. Some people bring everything they need; coolers, chairs, umbrellas and snacks. Others bring a good attitude and a hat and indulge in the wonderful local foods and drinks offered at the parade. As most events on island, this parade begins on “island time.” Although the official start time is 12:00, the parade generally gets underway around 1:30. Even with the late start, this parade is absolutely worth the wait!

The parade begins and dancers in costumes begin their decent down the main street in Fredericksted. In addition to the amazing dancers in costume, there are many traditional floats. The double-decker float carrying the steel pan group, The Rising Stars, is a favorite to many. The crowd cheers as this float nears and energetically bounces this float into steel pan heaven! This history of this group dates back to 1981 when Judge Hodge realized that he could offer support to local youth through music. The goal of the group was not only to play music, but mainly to support the youth ages 10-18 and ensure their success in finishing high school. The Rising Stars have academic standards that must be reached and maintained in order for students to stay with the band. This group has been going strong for 24 years and is an asset and joy to the community. The parade wouldn’t be complete without the music from Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Nights, playing folkloric scratch band music as well as music from many other local favorites. All of this music is essential to this parade and gets even the quiet viewers on their feet dancing!

The parade begins with the sun shining bright in the sky and ends while the sun is setting over the ocean. This is not just any parade though, this is one where everyone is allowed (and encouraged) to participate at the end as the last troops dance through town. Enthusiastic crowd members join in the festivities and dance along with the music through Fredericksted until they find themselves at the “Village.”

Whether you are sitting in a chair with your supplies for the day, or all you brought to the parade was yourself, this parade is fun, exciting and truly an opportunity to view the best of the best music, food and people in St. Croix!
- Stacy Gomez

February, 2010