Caribbean Carnivals – Dates & Activities

Carnivals To Find Sexy and Beautiful Girls

Carnival lover in red Xaymaca costume at the Jamaica carnival 2017

Antigua & Barbuda Carnival – Jouvert 

The Antigua carnival is an annual celebration that starts from the monthend of July to the first Tuesday of August. The Barbuda carnival is the first to come and takes place in June. The other name for this celebration is Caribana. There are 10 days of festivities which include music, beauty contests and talent shows. The carnival is held to celebrate the end of slavery in 1 August 1834, when people gathered in the streets to express their joy.

Date: 31 July to 2 August

Atlanta Carnival  – SOCA

This carnival is held by the Caribbean community in Atlanta, USA. It takes place on a Saturday one week before the end of May each year around 23 May or so. The venue is the Historic 4^th Ward Park, and several other locations.

Date: 23 May

Bacchanal Jamaica – Road March

The finale of this carnival is usually held in April every year in Jamaica. The venues can be anywhere, for example MAS CAMP, Liguanea Park i.e. and the line-up includes street parades, Jouvert Fete (10pm), performances, paint and road march which begins at 4am. The festival began in 1990 and it has evolved into the biggest carnival in Jamaica, attracting thousands of revellers and people in the streets. It’s a very long carnival, beginning in February and ending in April. From the capital Kingston to other places, every town and location is celebrating.

Date: February to April

Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival 

The carnival starts with a music festival from 28 to 29 April in the Grand Bahama. Here, musicians will compete to go through the semi-finals of the Junkanoo Carnival Music Masters Song contests. The finalists will go to the grand final held in Nassau, on 5 May or the first Friday of May. Every year, more than 50,000 people attend the Music Masters Mega Concert on the first Friday of May. This concert attracts international artists from the Caribbean and all over world, competing on stage for the top spot.

After the Friday Music Extravaganza, the following Saturday is a day to party in the streets. Called the “Road Fever”, thousands of people will take to the streets to have a jubilant time, indulging in wine, fun and dancing. Everybody will be wearing a costume, shouting and cheering. The climax is either a wet party or colour party where people are covered in paint or powder.

Date:  28 April to 5 May

Bermuda Heroes Weekend – Carnival

The Bermuda Heroes Weekend carnival is held in the middle of June every year. It’s a 3 day festival featuring the popular 5 Star Friday event at the National Sports Center, which starts at 8pm. This is followed by multiple events on Saturday and Sunday. These include the parade of bands, concert performances by SOCA music artists including competitions. You will also like the Raft Up and Promoters Day which takes place over the weekend.

The BHW ends with the Super Heroes Jouvert where crowds gather at Bernard’s Park on the 3^rd day (on a Monday), and the Last Lap which takes place on the last day at Clearwater Beach. This event starts at 2pm and ends at 10pm.

Date: 15 June

St. Lucia Carnival

The St Lucia Carnival is a 2 day festival beginning in the middle of June. It includes a parade of the bands – Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday, the two main events that mark this festival but in the weeks and months before this event, there are several events taking place. Street partying, dancing, and band competitions are just some of the features that you will enjoy. There are also body-paint colour parties happening everywhere.

Date: 15 June

Dennery Carnival – St Lucia

This is a carnival taking place at Dennery village in St Lucia. Dennery is the home of Kuduro music. The two-day event attracts locals in beachwear, swimsuits and colourful costumes. Music is played and beauty contests are held. Several bands will compete in various music such as SOCA and you will enjoy the dance performances.

This carnival starts on 21 MAY at carnival city. On 9 June, there is a segment paint and powder breakfast fete. Events for kids are held on 24 and 25 June. The 30^th of June is the day for shows and the big Jouvert. The Parade of the Bands is on 1 July and the Last Lap Jump Up is on 2 July. Both are held at Dennery Circuit.

Date: 21 May to 2 July

Grenada Carnival – Spicemas Fancy – Mas on De Road

August is the month of the Spice Mas carnival in Grenada. The Grenada Spice Mas carnival starts on the second Monday of August (around 14 August). The main highlights are the Jouvert morning, which signals the start of the official carnival.  The Jouvert lasts 2 days, and it is characterised by celebrations and revellers partying in the streets. Such a huge event cannot be planned the day before, but it is organized several months in advance, featuring Caribbean music such as reggae, soca and calypso. People in costumes stream along the streets, dancers will dab their bodies in oil and make a procession past the buildings while holding torches. To get a vantage point, you have to watch the procession from a high place. You will see thousands of revellers streaming past and vanishing into the hill. The Jouvert morning reaches its peak around 8:00am, and by this time, the crowds will begin scattering with everybody going home to take a rest, preparing for the next show.

Date: 14 August

Mad Scenes Jouvert Grenada Carnival August 14th 2017 [HD]

Miami Caribbean Carnival

The Miami Caribbean carnival also known as the Miami Broward Carnival begins 7 days after the start of October, on a Sunday. The event begins at 5:00pm and ends the following morning at 5:00am. However, there are several events lined up which take place on different days. The Committee responsible for this carnival releases the annual programme on May, so revellers and visitors have a lot of time to prepare. People of Caribbean origin in the USA and around the world converge at the Dade-Fairgrounds or any chosen location to watch marching bands, listen to music and party. The Carnival Day is preceded by the Jouvert which takes place on a Saturday from 7am to 3pm. Notable events taking place before the Jouvert, are Fantastic Friday and the Junior Carnival which falls on the last day of September.

Date: 7 October

Notting Hill Carnival – London

The Notting Hill Carnival is one of the most popular carnivals in the world celebrating the heritage of the Caribbean people. The event is organized by Caribbeans living in London, UK. Known as the biggest street carnival in Europe, thousands of people converge in the streets of Notting Hill to party, and listen to music. The carnival has come a long way, it’s been celebrated for more than 50 years in the UK, and it has been marked by controversies and incidences, which include several arrests by the police prior to the event. Drugs have been seized, and violent incidences have been reported. However, all this is minor compared to a million people who attend the celebrations, since most big festivals such as those in Brazil and Trinidad are characterised by crime.

At Notting Hill, you have an opportunity to watch dancers, beautiful women in colourful costumes and enjoy a variety of Caribbean music such as reggae, salsa and soca. The festival is held towards the end of August, usually on the weekend of the Bank Holiday from the 25^th and onwards. Participants will enjoy two days of partying backed by powerful public sound systems. Those who love delicious food will be treated to fried plantain and chicken.

Date: 25 August

Barbados Carnival

The Barbados Crop Over Carnival is a harvest festival that has been celebrated for many years since 1687 by local residents. The festival is one of the longest, beginning in May and ending in August on Kadooment Day which takes place on the first Monday of August. The beautiful carnival ladies partaking in this event wear intricate ornamental bikinis and thongs to attract attention. The highlight is the street parade which takes place in the capital city as well as the Calypso competition where musicians battle it out. Other major competitions include the People’s Monarch and the Party Monarch, which are singing competitions for ordinary people participating in the carnival. Music is played, as people party and dance, you may have a chance to get a glimpse of Rihanna, a popular US-based Barbadorian artist who has been the face of the carnival for many years.

Date:  1^st Monday of August

Peruvian Carnival

The Peruvian Carnival takes place in February which is also known as the month of love. In this festival, the Yunza ritual is the highlight of the celebrations. In the Yunza ritual, organizers will plant a huge tree, either in the jungle or coast, laden with gifts and presents. Carnival participants converge around the tree in song and dance, each couple is required to strike the tree with an axe. The last participants to strike the tree down are given the role of organizing next year’s Yunza.

The fun begins as soon as the Yunza is over. The main attraction for festival goers is the water battles which take place in the city of Peru. Historically, the water battles would run for 3 days and anyone roaming the streets during the festival would find themselves wet. Revellers would use buckets and egg shells to pour water on each other. Water balloons are now the main feature of the modern festival. The whole month of February is a wet party or water fight for Peruvians, so if you visit the cities around this time, you might be greeted with water balloons!!!

Date:  February

PHILLY CARNIVAL – Soca Star MOTTO – St Lucia

The Philly Caribbean Carnival also known as the Philadelphia Caribbean Carnival is held in the state of Pennsylvania in the USA. The festival takes place in June on a weekend in the city of Philadelphia. The celebrations include costumed revellers and dancers. This event is part of PECO, an organisation that hosts multi-cultural festivals in the region. A lot of sponsors such as Sheraton Hotels, Coca Cola and AmeriJet are involved in making the event a reality. The Philly festival is usually held at Fairmount Park. People of various ethnicities from African to Latino, converge at the park to celebrate and party. Prior to the carnival day, a Jouvert called the “Paint and Powder” is held by revellers. Buckets and bottles of paint are distributed to participants, everybody is in the mood for “paint fights”, so you will go home covered in paint. The Jouvert also features music by soca artists where thousands of people dance to song. Popular DJs from the Caribbean are hired to entertain the crowds. On carnival day, expect to see beautiful women in ornamented costumes parading down the streets. The 2016 edition was held on 18 June.

Date: 18 June

West Indian Labor Day Carnival – Brooklyn New York

The West Indian Carnival also known as the Labor Day or American Day Carnival is celebrated by people of Caribbean origin in the USA in New York, Brooklyn, Crown Heights. The festival takes place on Labor Day, the first Monday of September, every year. Up to 3 million people take part in the event which features street parades. Beginning in 1947, the street parades were launched by Jessie Wardle, a woman from Trinidad and Tobago. Calypso music is played and artists are honoured by the WIADCA – The West Indian American Day Carnival Association. Attendees are not only there to join the colourful costume party, but they have a chance to taste delicious food sold by vendors.

Date: 1^st Monday of September (Labor Day)

SoFlo Caribbean Carnival

Also known as the South Florida Caribbean carnival or Miami carnival, this event features beautiful women and dancers in costumes, celebrating the Caribbean culture. The festival takes place on a Sunday before Columbus Day, the exact date being the second Monday of October each year. The festival is attended by many people from the Caribbean community in South Florida, and it has grown to be one of the most popular carnivals in the USA, attracting musicians from the Caribbean islands who come to entertain the crowds. To get an idea of the magnitude of this festival, people will start booking for next year’s event as soon as the current festival has ended. Some of the venues where the carnival has been hosted include the Bicentennial Park. On the day of the carnival, you will be treated to music by bands and DJs on mobile trucks, performers clad in exotic costumes will grace the streets, and finally over 50,000 people will converge at the park to watch the “Band of the Year” competition.

Date:  2^nd Monday of October

St. Croix US Virgin Islands Carnival

St. Croix in the Virgin Islands has an annual carnival that commences on Christmas Day, up to the New Year. This Crucian Xmas Carnival takes place in two places – Christiansted and Frederiksted.  Activities include Calypso and Latino music shows and other family-friendly events such as food displays, horse races, street parades and competitions. As early as 11 December, the pre-carnival events will kick off with competitions, followed by SOCA music party on the day before Christmas. This is followed by Cultural Night, SOCA competition finals, and on 4 January, the anticipated Jouvert will take place at Hannah’s Rest Corner. The next line-up includes food fairs, reggae night, Latino night, kids’ parade and on the final day (7 January), an adult’s parade will kick off at 10:00am in the morning on King Street. Fireworks and displays are held at 8:00pm to mark the festival closing.

Date:  11 December to 7 January

Toronto Caribana

Commonly called the “Caribana”, the Toronto Caribbean Carnival in Canada starts 3 weeks before the Grande Parade which marks the closing of the festival on a Saturday or Sunday, around the 5^th of August.  This date falls on the Civic Holiday. The Grande Parade represents the peak of the celebrations, as it attracts millions of people from all corners of the world, who come to witness the street performances by participants in attractive costumes. The preparations start well in advance, and leading up to the main event, several events are lined up. This includes the Jouvert which starts at dawn. Early in the morning, instrumental bands will play vibrant and rhythmic sounds. Participants drab themselves in paint, powder and mud, making cheerful sounds as they proceed and pass by.

Spectators are treated to fetes (music parties hosted by artists) scattered across the city of Toronto. Bands will play an assortment of Caribbean music from Soca to Calypso. On the closing day (Final Weekend), street parades will converge at the Exhibition Place on 15 Saskatchewan Road. Here, entertainment will be provided from 8:30AM to 6:00PM. Revellers can choose to enter the Exhibition Place where a minimum entrance fee of $10 is charged or join the free parade on Lakeshore Boulevard.

Date:  1 July to 5 August (Grande Parade)

UWI Carnival Ring Road Street Party

The UWI (University of West Indies) Carnival in Jamaica is an annual festival attended by students from colleges and universities, as well as fans of SOCA music. The carnival kicks off in March, from the 13^th and onwards. The opening event is usually a party hosted by DJs at UWI Mona Bowl. This is followed by a Jouvert over the weekend at UWI Sand Pit. Once you are done dancing and partying to music by Jamaican DJs in enclosed venues, you should get ready for the biggest outdoor street party – The Ring Road party. As the name suggests, revellers converge in the streets to dance, drink and just be jovial and carefree. All roads leading to Mona Campus are crowded with spectators and manned by the familiar Appleton Party Truck which dishes out SOCA music in the streets.

The climax is the Beach Party at Sugarman’s Beach in Portmore which starts at 4:00pm. Sponsors such as Skyy Vodka, Red Bull, Pepsi and Appleton are involved in hosting the events, and as usual, you should expect great music from Soca artists lined up for the event. As the celebrations move into full gear, revellers will engage in water soaked fun, thanks to gadgets provided by the UWI Carnival Committee. Young women and men engage in dancing, water fights and drinking.

Date:  13 March

Xaymaca Jamaica Carnival 2017

Xaymaca International is an event organization that provides carnival experiences. The organization provides bands for festivals as well as stylish costumes for masqueraders and participants. Participants can register on the Xaymaca website for costumes. After paying online, the participant will receive a branded bag containing the costume, plus gifts and accessories. Xaymaca is here to change the carnival landscape with its new concepts and innovations, featuring user-selected costumes, lunch spots, food, music, DJs, online registrations and trendy design options.

The Jamaica Carnival 2017 kicked off with the Xaymaca experience, and it made all the difference to the festival that was noticeable compared to previous festivals.