From left, Tamisha Barry, Jada Williams, Aaliyah Santos and Jahnisha Alexis cheers during the 15th annual Coquito Festival on Saturday afternoon at the La Reine Chicken Shack on St. Croix. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)
The scent of coconut drew throngs of people to the La Reine Chicken Shack on Saturday during the 15th annual Coquito Festival, a celebration of a traditional holiday digestif and the people who make it.
Throngs of people packed the grounds of the La Reine Chicken Shack on Saturday to see who had the best coquito of the year during the 15th annual Coquito Festival on St. Croix. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)Renee Jackson, from Crucian Paradise Drinks, pours a coquito sample on Saturday afternoon at the La Reine Chicken Shack on St. Croix. Jackson said the pistachio version was the most popular this year. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)
The top prize this year went to Geliza Santiago, followed by second-place winner Tisha Lockhart of 4T’s Coquito and Yvonne Sanes of Yvi’s Coquito, who won third place.
From left, Coquito Festival third-place winner Yvonne Sanes of Yvi’s Coquito, second-place winner Tisha Lockhart of 4T’s Coquito, and first-place winner Geliza Santiago accept their trophies on Saturday afternoon at the La Reine Chicken Shack on St. Croix. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)
After all the recipes were sampled and the sun went down, the festivities continued with a music lineup that included Xpress Band, Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights, and Puerto Rican salsa star Tito Nieves.
Velma Cruz pours a sample during the 15th annual Coquito Festival on Saturday at the La Reine Chicken Shack on St. Croix. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)The Xpress Band keeps the crowd entertained after sunset during the 15th annual Coquito Festival on Saturday at La Reine Chicken Shack. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)
