Cadence-Lypso icon Gordon Henderson has questioned the direction of the World Creole Music Festival (WCMF) & the wisdom of maintaining the island’s long-standing “sunset to sunrise” concert tradition

Cadence-Lypso icon Gordon Henderson has stirred debate over the direction of the World Creole Music Festival (WCMF), questioning the wisdom of maintaining the island’s long-standing “sunset to sunrise” concert tradition and suggesting it may be time to rethink the format of the beloved cultural event.

Speaking to the media shortly after his performance, Henderson stated that he did not believe the long-running, three-night schedule was a good idea, particularly if the goal is to promote the festival as a major tourism event.
 
He argued that the continuous music schedule hurts the island's nightlife, specifically clubs and restaurants, and stressed that the country should promote variety and diversity beyond being a "Carnival society".
 
Henderson also proposed a change to the festival's genre strategy. He questioned the practice of inviting artists from genres that are not part of the French-lexicon Creole as headliners, noting that promoting this specific genre was the genesis of the festival.
 
He advised that while other genres could be included, they should be placed as special guests rather than headliners, as making them headliners defeats the entire original purpose.