Tourism outlines $2.8M St. Thomas carnival budget; senators press for faster vendor payments and parity across islands

The Department of Tourism told the Senate Committee on Government Operations on March 24 that St. Thomas Carnival planning is underway, with an advertised budget of $2.8 million and interagency coordination on public safety, sanitation and permitting. Assistant Commissioner Alani Henneman and Festival Director Ian Turnbull described logistics, vendor arrangements and outreach aimed at increasing arrivals and protecting the carnival experience.

Budget and economic impact

Tourism listed its planned budgets for the 2025 festival season: roughly $2.8 million for St. Thomas Carnival, about $2.2 million for St. Croix Festival and roughly $1.5 million for St. John Celebration. Director Turnbull told senators the department’s visitor surveys and event sampling estimate visitors spend an average of about $2,000 per person during festival visits; festival leaders estimated incremental visitor spending in the millions during the carnival period (Turnbull presented a $6–10 million range for incremental economic impact tied to Carnival arrivals and local spending).

Operational planning and vendor logistics

Henneman and Turnbull said the department has held repeated interagency planning sessions with VIPD, VITEMA, V.I. Fire and EMS, the Department of Public Works, Waste Management Authority, Port Authority and the Water and Power Authority. Key operational notes provided at the hearing included:

- Portable toilets and sanitation: contracts secured with local vendors to supply restroom facilities, including 11 ADA‑compliant stalls for the carnival village, seven stalls at the Crown Bay food fair venue and 15 along parade and j’ouvert routes.

- Power and staging: WAPA coordinated power connections and timelines for the carnival village and staging; the department expects a confirmed power‑connection schedule aligned to vendor and safety inspections.

- Booths and fees: booth fees at the village were cited at $2,500 per booth; Turnbull said there was no waiting list and organizers accommodated returning vendors.

- Safety and crowd control: department staff said final security contracts and walk‑throughs with VIPD and VITEMA would be completed ahead of events.

Vendor payments and fiduciary arrangement

Senators pressed Tourism on outstanding vendor and artist payments from prior festivals. Turnbull said the department has engaged a third‑party fiduciary to manage festival payments and that, under that arrangement, many artists are paid the night of their performances and the fiduciary will streamline vendor disbursements. Several senators pressed for faster payments to local vendors and entertainers; Tourism said outstanding invoices were being reconciled and that remaining outstanding items would be addressed in the coming weeks.

What to watch

- Carnival event dates and honorees: officials said honorees were selected for village and food‑fair recognition and that a full honoree list would be released in a press notice; the department also listed a sequence of events leading to the main parade dates.

- Vendor payments and fiduciary performance: senators asked tourism to provide evidence of outstanding vendor claims and to track payments after engagement of the fiduciary; Turnbull said vendors owed from past events were on a short list and the team planned to clear those invoices promptly.

Ending

Committee members lauded the interagency planning and urged tourism to prioritize timely vendor payments, local entertainment parity across islands and clear public communications about carnival schedules and traffic impacts. Tourism said it will follow up with requested itemized reports and will provide additional outreach and coordination as festival dates approach.