A venue that is family friendly and fuels the Christmas spirit is a perfect description of the 2020 edition of the Botanic Gardens Nine Nights of Lights event.

Bomani Charles

The initiative, organized by the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority, was launched on Tuesday and saw hundreds of Vincentians converge on the Gardens to listen to Christmas music and take photos amidst the thousands of lights that decorate the trees, lawn and ponds at the venue.

Speaking at the launch, executive director of the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority Andrew Wilson said they are delighted to once again host the event, “and have persons enjoy the splendor of the Botanic Gardens.”

He said the Gardens is the largest lighted area in the country and is now a huge part of Vincentian Christmas and our unique Nine Mornings festival.

Wilson noted that this year, the event has been improved by expanding the areas of lighting and adding creative design elements while fine tuning the entertainment packages that speak totally of Christmas.

He noted that persons coming to the venue are being asked to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols while they are hoping that the event will bring “joy, happiness, goodwill, and hope, that is synonymous with the Christmas narrative of the birth of Christ.”

Also commenting at the launch, Chairman of the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority Gideon Nash boasted of the increased number of lights and stressed that a lot of work has been put in to transform the facility.

Also present was Chairman of the National Nine Mornings Committee Bomani Charles.

He noted that the Nine Nights event is now an integral part of the Nine Mornings celebrations and the initiative is playing its part in increasing St Vincent and the Grenadines’s (SVG) cultural presence in Caribbean.

Charles said also that SVG is hoping to become the Christmas capital of the world, so the National Nine Mornings Committee will continue to support events of this nature.

This is the sixth consecutive year that the event is being held. It was introduced in 2015 as a commemorative activity to mark the Garden’s 250th anniversary.

Persons attending the event will be asked to pay a small entrance fee.