It will be, simply, the party of the century — actually two centuries — when St. Croix bids goodbye to the 20th Century and says hello to the 21st.
The Virgin Islands Millennium Committee has assembled a schedule of
partying that will last for two days. And the hook to hang it all on is Point Udall.
At 17.6 latitude and 64.5 longitude, the scenic Point Udall is the United States’ eastern most point in the Western Hemisphere. That then makes St. Croix the first place on American soil where the sun will shine on the new millennium.
To celebrate St. Croix’s unique position, a huge party has been organized.
And if all goes as planned, the partying could end up in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The festivities begin early on Dec. 31 in Frederiksted, said Hugh Dalton, a member of the Millennium Committee. Since several cruise ships will be in port for the new year, Harbour Day activities will greet passengers along Frederiksted’s waterfront early on.
By early afternoon the record-breaking partying will commence. The first Guinness Book attempt will be a 1,000-strong youth steel pan orchestra. Next up, 5,000 Quelbe dancers under the leadership of Bradley Christian.
Yet another world record attempt will be a tall order: 150 mocko jumbie stilt dancers. And the final attempt at a record will be 1,500 dancers performing the Electric Slide.
Finally, Frederiksted, on St. Croix’s west shore, will watch the sun set on the 20th century.
"It will all end at about 6 p.m. and then we’ll all go out to Point Udall," Dalton said.
At Point Udall, a giant millennium monument will be officially unveiled.
The 18-foot tall by 40-foot in diameter monument is in the shape of a sundial. The alignment of the shadow pole in the center of the monument and marker pins at 12, 9, 6 and 3 o’clock designate the azimuth of the sun on Jan. 1, 2000.
Actually, the millennium bash base camp will be Cramers Park, where a
festival village with three stages featuring local and stateside bands will perform.
The party will rock on through midnight on Dec. 31 well past the first sun rise of the new millennium, Dalton said.
"We’ve got a major show on the first," he said. "We’ll have a VIP tent, three stages and live bands."
For more information call the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism on St. Croix at (340) 773-0495.
