Since then, cultural activists have been agitating for more public buy-in to the significance of the flower festivals.

Creative Director at the Cultural Development Foundation, Derenia Frederick, explains that culture will survive only when it’s expressed by the society. She says now is the time to ensure cultural practices are preserved for future generations.

“With intangible cultural heritage, if whatever it is that's been practiced dies or ceases to exist, it no longer exists and it is lost. So this is a good opportunity to ensure that this is preserved. Both flower festivals have been around for more than a hundred years,” she said during the band parade through Castries on Friday.

Frederick notes that the cultural practice will survive once all sectors come to understand its immortality.

“We will come and we will leave [the festivals] there. There will still be people practicing La Woz, there will still be people doing La Magwit. So I think it is fitting for it to be iconised that way once it can get that injection of support from the corporate sector, from the public sector and Saint Lucians,” she said.

Tourism Minister Ernest Hilaire, on the other hand, vowed his government’s support for the flower festivals. He says greater financial investment will be placed to ensure the culture’s survival.

“There's more support now. I'm not saying there's enough support but there's more support being given and I think the important objective for the next couple of years is to build a number of groups, make the groups that exist stronger and start building new groups,” he said.