No Soul Beach Music
Festival St. Maarten
~ Only parties for French side ~
PHILIPSBURG--Plans to have the popular Soul Beach Music Festival here next month have been squashed because the Dutch side did not sign on to co-sponsor the event with the French side.
In the place of the music festival, organisers have planned a series of parties, themed “Paradise Party Weekend” on the French side May 24-28. Main event sponsors are St. Martin Office du Tourisme and Orient Beach Hotel.
Activities during the day are slated for various beaches. At night, the grooves will be provided by Soul Beach’s celebrity deejays at different locations.
The idea of the island hosting the Soul Beach Music Festival, successor of the Sinbad Music Festival which has its roots here, came put last year when some of the island’s tourism officials lured festival organisers over here. The result of that visit was a financial commitment of approximately US $100,000 from the French side, with the Dutch side’s contribution pending.
The Executive Council later decided not to pursue the music festival as the contribution was far more than is given to the very popular St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.
However, some critics in the community have been keen to point out that the amount needed for Soul Beach would have been much less than the support government gave to the home grown summer music festival, SummerFest.
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