Prime Minister’s New Year’s Grand Gala celebrates St Kitts and Nevis' past achievements and vision for 2025

Prime Minister’s New Year’s Grand Gala brought together citizens, residents, leaders, dignitaries and other guests from all the walks of life to celebrate the achievements of St Kitts and Nevis of the last year and vision for 2025. The gala hosted by Dr Terrance Drew on Sunday, under the theme, “Building Prosperity Through Sustainability” offered an incredible time to all the attendees. 

The gala offered a vibrant experience to all the attendees, celebrating the nation’s resilience, progress and shared vision for a sustainable future of St Kitts and Nevis. It featured electrifying performances, delicious delicacies made with local flavours and ingredients, drinks, cultural performances, talent showcase etc. 

Performances at New Year’s Grand Gala 

A reggae/dancehall singer and songwriter from Jamaica, Christopher Martin gave a special live performance, making the audience dance to his tunes. Along with him, the other local artists including, Infamus, KC5 Band, Real Right Entertainment, EK ‘The Real Right’, Rucas He & David House and Jingle Bells String Band also graced the occasion with their magical performances. 

The Comedian Rachel Price from Trinidad and Tobago was the Special guest artiste for the occasion, offering a night of fearless and mesmerizing comedy to all the attendees. In addition to, the Junior Calypso Monarch, Adiaha Inanga and Edward ‘Mighty J’ Williams also performed for the audience in Primary and Secondary Schools Category respectively. 

The Prime Minister Terrance Drew extended gratitude to all these artists for their spectacular entertainment, creating an amazing evening for all the attendees. The leader of the nation also honoured and recognized Jackie “Singing Jackie” Hazel-Leader for her exceptional contribution of 50 years in the art form of Calypso. 

Building a sustainable future for St Kitts and Nevis: PM Terrance Drew 

The Prime Minister shed light on the achievements made by the country over the past years and aimed at building a thriving and sustainable future. He therefore, urged all the citizens and residents of the country with a vision to embrace all the opportunities and contribute actively to the progress of the Federation. 

He emphasised on the remarkable growth of 26% in tourism and aimed at welcoming over 1 million cruise visitors in the ongoing 2024-2025 cruise season. The Prime Minister said that they have welcomed several passengers in 2024 and is aiming to surpass all the previous records in the current year. 

PM Terrance Drew also reflected on other initiatives including, launching of ASPIRE Programme, Groundbreaking initiatives in water security, renewable energy, housing, healthcare and many others. The Prime Minister also outlined plans for the current year and added that they will mark the commencement of several projects, aiming to lead the nation towards growth and development. 

The upcoming projects highlighted by PM Drew, includes, the construction of Basseterre High School, transformative agricultural projects like, Tabasco Hot Pepper initiative and the other advancements in healthcare. 

Gala Concluded with toast by Dr Drew  

The Prime Minister’s New Year’s Gala was concluded with a toast by Dr Drew, joined by his wife, Diani Jimesha Prince-Drew. Both of them raised their glasses to progress, unity and the bright future ahead. The leader of the nation also thanked the organizing committee for successfully executing this year’s gala. He appreciated the entire planning, décor and lighting for creating an evening to remember. Also, as per the details, the proceeds from the grand gala are expected to go towards the Children’s Medical Fund. 

Keynote speaker: Raheemah Abdulaleem’s address 

The Keynote Speaker of the event was Raheemah Abdulaleem, who appreciated the people of St Kitts and Nevis and aimed at addressing the critical challenges including, climate change while fostering economic growth. 

Raheemah Abdulaleem is the Special Assistant to the President of the USA and General Counsel in the White House and Executive Office of the President. She said that as the Federation is entering 2025, they are aiming to encourage all the citizens to embrace their roles as stewards of the environment and drivers of innovation.