Preparations for Saint Lucia’s biggest cultural festival, Jounen Kwéyòl (Creole Day), are at an advanced stage.

Under the direction of the Folk Research Centre (FRC), the widely celebrated cultural event will take place on October 30.

Jounen Kwéyol is the brainchild of the Folk Research Centre, and is celebrated in recognition of Jounen Kwéyòl Entonnasyonal (International Creole Day), observed annually on October 28. The event aims to foster an awareness of the strength and value of the Kwéyòl language and to assist in the understanding and development of its rich cultural resources.

According to FRC policy that ensures communities don’t monopolize the hosting of the event, four communities will host Creole Day festivities. The four host communities are Gros Islet, Choiseul, Belle Vue and Jacmel.

The FRC has added a new feature this year, where each host community will highlight a cultural area for which the community is famous. These cultural areas comprise, inter alia, agriculture, fisheries, craft and music.

The official launch of Creole Heritage Month/Jounen Kwéyòl 2016 will be held on Sunday, Sep. 25 at the FRC’s premises at Mount Pleasant. It will take the form of a mini Jounen Kwéyòl celebration, and will be a whole-day affair.

This will be Saint Lucia's 32nd Jounen Kwéyòl celebration since it began in 1984, in Mon Repos. The event was affected only once, due to Hurricane Tomas in 2010.