RT contractors allege theft of materials for festival booths
The 71st Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival is currently ongoing and will culminate on August 9. The festival each year sees the erection of temporary booths.
Speaking anonymously with Virgin Islands News Online on Sunday, July 20, 2025, one contractor said, “This isn’t the first time this has happened. Once festival time coming up they knock up the booths for shows.”
While unable to say for sure, he said, it points to a “really good assumption” that this is what is happening.
He added that he is coming forward in hopes that once it is made public, those responsible will do better.
“They have to do better,” the contractor said.
Almost $4000 worth of material stolen
What was shocking to learn was the quantity of materials stolen from the site.
“If you understand what a bundle of 2x4 is, close to $4000 worth of materials,” he told us, adding, “It’s either you have individuals telling booth owners they can build their booths for a certain amount of money, or it’s the booth owners themselves coming to take the materials.”
Tortola, he lamented, used to be a “real quiet place with respectable people”, quickly adding that he is not placing blame on any specific class in society but said they are those “trying to make a quick dollar”.
While the quantity of materials stolen was surprising, the timeframe in which the materials were stolen was too.
The contractor said he left the site on Saturday, July 19, 2025, and upon his return on Sunday, the materials, including scrap material that could have been reused, were taken.
“I could have done a better job of securing it, but we are in the BVI, it hasn’t been gone for the whole year, so why now?… It happened last night, literally. We had the material on site yesterday, came here this morning, and it was gone.”
It is ‘heartaching’
People need to be “fair”, he told VINO, saying he is very community-minded and oriented.
“It’s very heartaching to have these types of things happen. We’ve had multiple job sites with break-ins, but this is the second year this has happened.”
He said, ultimately, he wants to bring awareness to what is happening.
“We want people to make money, we want the festival to be successful, but we want people to be respectful of other people’s property as well. The BVI isn’t a place of vandalism and craziness; we used to respect each other’s property and be our brother’s keeper.”
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29 Responses to “RT contractors allege theft of materials for festival booths”
Separately, why people rushing down to build booths and still charging so much money? All those booths should be in the same price range. Somebody needs to step in and build for a reasonable cost. They would make a good quick buck. Some will steal YOUR material then come back to charge you for labour and material to build the same da*n booth.
Another thing, if the Government charging to set up in there, they ought to have round the clock security to protect the booth owners material. That is not good.
1. People are getting desperate because of the failing economy
2. The new set of mixed up generation is getting mote and more lawless
3. Parents failing to do their jobs
4. Evil is overcoming good