At Carnival Launch Event, A Taste Of What’s To Come

ST. CROIX — They adorned themselves with costumes in a small room tucked away to the west side of the conference hall at the Palms at Pelican Cove. There, makeup artists enhanced the faces and bodies of the already beautiful women — and men — who were to perform at Alvin Burke Jr.’s “Carnival Meets the Runway”, this year being the third annual. The idea was to showcase the main presentation of carnival — troupes and costume design — in a few short hours, and judging by cheers coming from the well-attended event, Mr. Burke succeeded.

Out of the small room and onto the runway they came, strutting to the sounds of Caribbean Soca music permeating the atmosphere. People sat on either side of the runway, most of them women, as group after group walked confidently up the aisle, with its top located to the east, and hyped by event host Temisha Libert, the ubiquitous young model and local celeb who hosts a variety of functions in and out the territory.

It was also a time for troupes to entice onlookers to join their group before the Adults Parade in January, when thousands of islanders and visitors alike descend on Frederiskted for this island’s biggest display of culture.

“This was awesome. I think this was the best one yet,” Mr. Burke said, comparing Saturday night’s show to the past events.

Aside from the glitz, the Carnival Meets the Runway showcase also represented the official launch of carnival here, kicking off a set of events that highlight the myriad of activities that make up the Crucian way of living.

Below, a collage of last night’s models, along with some videos.