In 1992, renowned poet, playwright, and painter Derek Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, earning Saint Lucia the distinction as the country with the highest rate of Nobel Prize winners per capita in the world. January 23rd, the birth date shared by both laureates, was declared Nobel Laureate Day.”

With events running from January 7 to 31 under the theme “Celebrating Excellence”, several events and activities will be held under this festival including the photographic exhibition, paint the Village, and much more.

From January 8 to 23, the Chester Williams Photographic Exhibition will be hosted under the theme of ‘The Land, The People, The Light’. This exhibition will be held at the Castries City Hall, Peynier Street, Castries.

The next event, Paint the Village 2024, will be held on Saturday, January 13, from 10 am to 1 pm at the Square in Laborie. This year’s theme for this event is ‘Painting the Figure in a Village Setting’. During this event, there will be painting sessions with live models, and visitors can learn to paint people with freshness and accuracy. People can also meet with fellow artists from around the island and elsewhere, and entry to this event will be free of charge for people of all ages.

On January 23, Sir Derek Walcott Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Dr Travis Weekes. This lecture will be given under the theme ‘Derek Walcott: The Lighter Side’ at 7:30 pm at the Finance Administrative Centre, Pointe Seraphine, Castries. On Thursday, January 25, the Sir Arthur Lewis Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Dr James Fletcher. The topic of this lecture will be ‘Navigating the Future: Applying the Teachings of Sir William Arthur Lewis to Saint Lucia’s 21st Century Development Challenges’ from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the Finance Administrative Centre, Pointe Seraphine, Castries.