The VIPR Friendship Village will open on Thursday at 6 p.m. and close at 1 a.m. and run through Sunday at the same times. This year’s location is at the Agricultural Fair Grounds on Queen Mary Highway.
Luis Torres, the VIPR Friendship committee chairman, said, “This year we wanted to give the community a change. The fairgrounds has more parking and we can have a lot more variety of vendors and a lot more of the rides.”
There will be no general admission fee. However, tickets will need to be purchased for the Coney Island rides. “This year for our 59th celebration, the mayor of Vieques, the Honorable Jose Corcino Acevedo, will be celebrating our 59th year of friendship,” said Torres.
In addition to the rides, there will be multiple food and craft vendors. Music and events are scheduled for each night as follows:
Thursday:
Ole Skool Nite
DJ Poppy Pops
DJ Ricky Sounds
Friday:
Opening Ceremony
Stanley & TSK with Cultural Dancers
DJ PURA MESCLA
LIQUID SOUND BAND
Latin BAD BOY BDC
DEE GEE Band
HARTATAK INTERNATIONAL
Saturday:
Arroz Con Pollo Competition
DJ Felix – UNLTD.SOUNDS
DJ RICKY SOUNDS
ROMANZA FT. ADRIANA
JUNNY RAMOS Y SU ORQUESTRA
Sunday:
DJ 4T
ISB FT. TOASTY – VIO INTERNATIONAL
FETAH BAND FT. BIG DADDY CHUCHO
Safety at the village will be ensured with V.I. Police Department officers patrolling the grounds and security personnel will monitor the front gate and parking lot.
When asked what was the most important part of the VIPR Friendship Celebration, Torres replied, “To me the most important part is to give thanks to those Hispanics that came to the Virgin Islands and worked with local residents in the development of our islands, we owe part of our islands’ success to them so every year the focus of the celebration is the friendship we created with Puerto Rico.”
The Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico (VIPR) Friendship Day, a local holiday, will be formally observed on Monday, Oct. 9 this year. The holiday was created in 1964 by Gov. Ralph Paiewonsky to recognize Puerto Ricans who reside in the territory or who have made substantial contributions to the Virgin Islands. This will be the first full-scale village since the COVID-19 pandemic.
