TRADITION, MUSIC, CULTURE AND PATRIOTISM ENERGISE SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS’ INDEPENDENCE PARADE
Basseterre, Saint Kitts, September 20, 2026 (SKNIS): A gentle breeze blew across the Warner Park Cricket Stadium on Saturday (September 19, 2026) evening, as thousands of individuals donned in national colours, waved national flags at the Ceremonial Parade for the 43rd Anniversary of Independence of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The traditional parade featured armed units from the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF) Infantry and Coast Guard Units, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and the SKNDF Cadet Corps. SKNDF soldiers wearing the historical uniform of the 4th West India Regiment and armed with muskets from that period also returned to the parade having debuted in 2025. A visiting contingent of soldiers from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) joined the armed units on parade, a sign of the strengthening cooperation between the military from both countries.
Also on parade were unarmed units from the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Service, His Majesty’s Prison, the Customs and Excise Department, the St. Christopher Air and Sea Port Authority Police, the Girls Guides and the Brownies.
The armed units on parade marched in slow time pass Governor-General, Her Excellency Dame Marcella Liburd, before being joined by the unarmed units for the quick time march. The SKNDF Band played some of the familiar military tunes such as Scipio and Colonel Bogey before playing “Viva Saint Kitts” by the late King Ellie Matt.
An inspiring and energetic patriotic presentation by the Department of Creative Economy was the highlight of this year’s parade. It featured blended sets of songs by well-known local vocalists, including Venelle Powell, Joyelle Phillip, Vakiel Herbert, and the reigning Senior Calypso King, Tariq “King Drewzy” Drew. The rhythms of the steel pan by EBJ Harmonics and cultural dances by the Okolo Tegremantine group and others energised the crowd. The performances were so infectious that Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Konris Maynard, a multiple-time calypso king himself, spontaneously joined the performers on the field as they sang several of his patriotic songs.
The energetic performances had the spectators dancing and singing along to favourites, while others waved rags and national flags.
Today, Sunday, September 20, 2026, many are still buzzing about the Independence 43 Ceremonial Parade. The planning committee has drawn high praise for continuing to innovate each year, over the past four years, to enhance the experiences for spectators. The decision to host the parade in the evenings also brings respite from the unrelenting heat which accompanied the 8 a.m. start times of the past.
For the thousands in attendance, the evening offered an excellent opportunity to celebrate 43 years of nation building through music, culture, tradition and national pride. It truly encapsulated the theme: “One Vision, One People, Endless Possibility: Independence 43.”
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