The 2026 St. Thomas Carnival Adults’ Parade stretched well into the evening Saturday, with 43 official entries moving through Charlotte Amalie in a steady procession that didn’t let up until just about an hour before the end-of-Carnival fireworks lit up the harbor.
It was a long day on the road, but the crowd stayed with it, lining the route from early afternoon into dusk as each troupe was called forward into Post Office Square, one after the next, keeping the day moving.
That steady turnover brought a mix of presentations, including the parade’s many kings and queens moving through in full costume, alongside this year’s St. Thomas Carnival Ambassadorial Queen, Safiah Wharton, who returned to the route a day after appearing with Charlotte Amalie High School’s Marching Hawks. On Saturday, she appeared in white and rhinestones, balancing the moment with the message that carried her to the title — a platform focused on mental health among Virgin Islands youth.
“I know what it feels like to be in a position where you can’t talk to anyone,” she said. “Breaking the stigma around mental health matters to me, because I don’t want anyone else to feel that way.”
Before the parade fully settled into its rhythm, the focus shifted to the Traditional Indians — a group that, for years, has typically brought the parade to a close. This time, they led it.
Entering Post Office Square as this year’s honorees and grand marshals, the group was formally recognized in a ceremony that highlighted its place in the territory’s cultural history. Tourism officials joined Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach in acknowledging the Rhymer family, whose leadership has shaped the Traditional Indians for generations.
In his remarks, Roach pointed to the history of Indigenous peoples across the Caribbean — their displacement and survival — and the role groups like the Traditional Indians play in keeping that legacy visible.
As the group moved through the square, it was also noted that their roots predated the formal start of St. Thomas Carnival in 1954, grounding the modern celebration in traditions that existed long before it was formally organized.
That history has been carried largely by the Rhymer family, whose name has long been tied to the troupe. Philip Rhymer Sr., known as “Tata,” helped sustain the group for decades — organizing, outfitting, and keeping it going even later in his life — with that responsibility continuing through generations, including leaders like James Rhymer Jr.
The Indians have always moved as a unit, with family at the center and the drums setting the pace, and on Saturday, that presence set the tone for what followed. From there, the road opened up.
Sparkle Carnival Troupe was among the first to move through, easing into the route with a presentation drawn from the landscape of St. John’s Reef Bay, including petroglyph batons. Their section moved in layered greens, whites, and silvers, textures catching the light and setting a quieter, steadier tone before the larger bands began to build behind them.
Not long after, the Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra pushed into the square. Opening with “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang, the band carried a sound that pulled people back toward the route as the familiar chorus hit. Three trolleys moved with the group, packed with players, while adult members and supporters worked alongside them — guiding the section forward, keeping things together, and helping manage the flow as it spread across the road.
As the song built to its close, they took over the moment, raising large confetti poppers and sending bursts of gold into the air from across the section. The confetti hung for a beat over the square before drifting down, marking a coordinated finish that landed cleanly with the crowd.
The Eagles Carnival Troupe, partnered this year with Elevate Wi, followed with one of the day’s more defined statements, marking 50 years on the road. Formed by former Sen. Cain Magras, the troupe leaned into that history from the start, with seasoned members leading from a trolley out front, dressed in gold, Magras at the center lifting a glass in a toast as they moved through Post Office Square.
Behind that moment was a broader shift. This year marked the group’s first collaboration with ElevateWi Studios, bringing a more stylized, design-forward approach to a band built on legacy. Their presentation pulled from mythology and Caribbean symbolism, building around the figure of Ayida Wedo, with sections representing the islands — bold, structured, and deliberate as they moved through the route.
Between those larger entries, smaller groups filled in the gaps.
A Gallow’s Bay-based troupe out of St. Croix brought a more personal layer onto the road. Among them was Magda Moolenaar, who spoke about the influence of her mother, Jessica Tutein Moolenaar — recognized as the first Miss St. Croix Festival Queen — and how that legacy continues to shape what they present today.
“My mom grew up farming, fishing — that was her first job as a young person,” Moolenaar said. “Everything we’re showing comes from those roots.”
She described a life closely tied to the land and sea, noting that her mother was known for always bringing something back from the water.
“That’s why they used to call her the mermaid,” she said.
Further along, the Jesters shifted the energy again, and it happened quickly.
Dressed in their western-themed presentation — cowboys, cowgirls, and saloon-style characters — they took the square and turned it into something closer to a stage. The group broke into a line dance, moving in sync with fans in hand, stepping through the routine with a precision that pulled people in almost immediately as they moved to a track highlighting the ongoing impact of local power outages. Each time “WAPA” hit in the song, the entire line snapped their fans open in unison, drawing a reaction from the crowd and turning the moment into something both playful and pointed.
And then, when the road filled again, it filled quickly.
The Gypsies brought one of the largest groups of the day, their fire-themed presentation stretching across the route in layered reds, oranges, and yellows. Flowing skirts and tulle moved with each step, headpieces rising like flames, while firefighters in bold yellow and red worked alongside them, creating a back-and-forth between heat and control that carried through their performance in Post Office Square.
For longtime member Mario Picayo, the theme carried both personality and meaning, as he shared that the group hasn’t yet missed a Carnival — a run that spans 74 years on the road.
“We went with ‘Gypsies on Fire’ for two reasons,” Picayo said. “One, we are fire, and second, this is the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese horoscope — energy, strength, and positive change — so we’re looking forward to a strong rest of 2026.”
Beyond the organized entries, meanwhile, there was another current moving through the day — one that wasn’t on the official lineup but quickly became impossible to miss.
IShowSpeed, the globally recognized livestreamer who has been touring Caribbean islands in a widely followed series of broadcasts, made a stop on St. Thomas Saturday, arriving at Crown Bay early in the morning after teasing the territory as his next destination.
From the moment he reached downtown Charlotte Amalie, crowds formed quickly — swelling into a moving wave of fans that followed him through the streets. His route took him to Rudy’s food truck, into the Carnival Village, and eventually onto the parade route itself, where he briefly joined the flow of the Adults’ Parade, climbing aboard Pumpa’s trolley at one point as the stream continued live.
Division of Festivals Executive Director Ian Turnbull said the visit required quick coordination behind the scenes, but was ultimately welcomed.
“It puts us into the spotlight, it keeps eyes on us, and that’s a great thing,” Turnbull said, adding that early numbers tied to the exposure have already contributed to a four percent increase in arrival figures.
And, throughout it all, one constant held the day together.
For 31 years, Symra Brown-Gumbs has served as the official parade announcer, calling each troupe forward and guiding the parade from one section to the next. She traces that role back to her father, the late Irvin “Brownie” Brown, an iconic voice in Virgin Islands radio who first brought her in to learn.
Her son was just a year old at the time. He went home before the parade ended. She stayed — and has remained in that role ever since.
“This experience, it means everything to me,” Brown-Gumbs said, reflecting on the years and the connection to her father. “Carnival is when I miss my dad the most.”
By the time the final troupes passed through and the light began to fade, her voice was still there, carrying the parade through its final stretch. As the celebration moved toward its close, she invited the community to return next year for the 75th anniversary of St. Thomas Carnival.
