Gros Islet Quarter
Encyclopedia
Gros Islet
is the newest town in Saint Lucia
, having been recently promoted from a village to a town. It is the location of the Beausejour Cricket Grounds where both One Day International and Test Cricket
is played. Parts of the 2007 Cricket World Cup
and 2010 ICC World Twenty20
where played there. It is the administrative centre of the Gros Island Quarter, a region of Saint Lucia which includes the island's northernmost point, Cap Point
.
It lies north of Castries
, the capital of Saint Lucia, and features the Friday Night Street Party which is its major tourist attraction. Also known as the jump-up, the Friday Night Street Party encompasses several blocks, which have to be informally cordoned off with the stalls of street vendors. Steamed fish, barbecue chicken and St. Lucia's own Piton
beer can be purchased from these vendors. Music can be heard through the old fishing village, and locals and tourist both dance in a central cross section in the small streets to the sounds of calypso
, zouk
, reggae
and R&B.
The Rodney Bay Area further south differs greatly from the small, make-shift housing littering most of the town of Gros-Islet. Catering mostly to the tourism populace, the areas surrounding the marina contain shops, malls, restaurants and night clubs that fall on the higher end of the spectrum compared to other local enterprises. Land development costs in the Rodney Bay
area are extremely high. The exclusive beach front properties have almost all been purchased by small and large hoteliers, and restaurateurs, frustrating locals who continually see access to the public beaches being blocked by large construction projects. The night life reveals several clubs all in close proximity vying for clientele. The historic Pigeon Island is a popular place for tourists because of it peacefulness and wildlife. There is also a Sandals
hotel on the man made causeway connecting it to the mainland.
Gros Islet
Gros Islet is a community located near the northern tip of the island country of Saint Lucia. Originally a quiet fishing village, it has gone on to become one of the more popular tourist destinations in the country....
is the newest town in Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, having been recently promoted from a village to a town. It is the location of the Beausejour Cricket Grounds where both One Day International and Test Cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
is played. Parts of the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
and 2010 ICC World Twenty20
2010 ICC World Twenty20
-------------------------------------------------Group A:---------Group B:---------Group C:---------Group D:---------Super 8s:...
where played there. It is the administrative centre of the Gros Island Quarter, a region of Saint Lucia which includes the island's northernmost point, Cap Point
Cap Point
Cap Point is the northernmost point in Saint Lucia in the Caribbean....
.
Castries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
, the capital of Saint Lucia, and features the Friday Night Street Party which is its major tourist attraction. Also known as the jump-up, the Friday Night Street Party encompasses several blocks, which have to be informally cordoned off with the stalls of street vendors. Steamed fish, barbecue chicken and St. Lucia's own Piton
Piton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
beer can be purchased from these vendors. Music can be heard through the old fishing village, and locals and tourist both dance in a central cross section in the small streets to the sounds of calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
, zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and R&B.
The Rodney Bay Area further south differs greatly from the small, make-shift housing littering most of the town of Gros-Islet. Catering mostly to the tourism populace, the areas surrounding the marina contain shops, malls, restaurants and night clubs that fall on the higher end of the spectrum compared to other local enterprises. Land development costs in the Rodney Bay
Rodney Bay
Rodney Bay is a bay on Saint Lucia; it is along the northwestern coast of the island to the north of Choc Bay. It is named after British naval officer George Brydges Rodney. At Rodney Bay you can climb aboard the brig Unicorn, used in the film Pirates of the Caribbean and see the west side of the...
area are extremely high. The exclusive beach front properties have almost all been purchased by small and large hoteliers, and restaurateurs, frustrating locals who continually see access to the public beaches being blocked by large construction projects. The night life reveals several clubs all in close proximity vying for clientele. The historic Pigeon Island is a popular place for tourists because of it peacefulness and wildlife. There is also a Sandals
Sandals Resorts
Sandals Resorts is an operator of all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and part of Sandals Resorts International , parent company of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts, Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts and The Royal Plantation Collection. Sandals Resorts has a total of 15 couples-only properties,...
hotel on the man made causeway connecting it to the mainland.