The Reef Restaurant and Lounge (located at 605 South 3rd Street Philadelphia, PA 19147) recently held an event that highlighted the Virgin Islands Centennial Celebration for 2017. Commissioner of Tourism, Beverly Nicholson Doty, was in attendance. She spoke about how this year is a very special year for the Virgin Islands. March 31st 2017 marked the 100th year anniversary of the Danish West Indies becoming the Virgin Islands of the United States. It's a special time for honoring its history and culture.
Aside from the centennial celebration, there are many more things to celebrate this year in the Virgin Islands. There's a celebration of the 65th anniversary of the St. Thomas carnival throughout April 1st through April 29th (www.vicarnival.com/ ). It’s the largest carnival in the Virgin Islands. In St. Croix, there was the St. Croix Food & Wine experience which was held April 7th-April 10th (https://stxfoodandwine.com/). St. Croix is known for exceptional food. This island has more of an agricultural history than St. Thomas or St. John. Beverly Nicholson Doty spoke about how young chefs are joining with local farmers and fishermen and opening restaurants like Balter (www.balterstx.com/ ) and Zion (www.zionmodernkitchen.com/home ) both in St. Croix. If you're a foodie and you plan on visiting the Virgin Islands, you definitely will want to check out these dining destinations.
Another celebration that's approaching is the St. John carnival on the 4th of July (www.visitusvi.com/stjohn/carnival). July 3rd marks their emancipation from slavery. It's another celebration filled with parades, food and so much more. In the fall, there’s a dining event called Dine V.I. (https://dine.vi/). It's an event filled with food tastings and outdoor celebrations.
For the Centennial year, there’s currently a promotion for the Virgin Islands. If you book a minimum three night stay, you will get $300.00 cash for spending credits to use towards cultural and historical activities. You can take advantage of this fantastic offer at www.VISITUSVI.com and use booking code CP17. This offer is available now until October 1, 2017.
