๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฝ St. Maarten Carnival

St. Maarten Carnival is the place to go if you want to have the time of your life! It is a high energy, vibrant and colorful celebration in a tropical paradise!

Information

Location Map

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    When is Carnival in St. Maarten?

    The officialย dates for the 2023 St. Maarten Carnival dates have not been confirmed yet. The St. Maarten Carnival is officially the longest carnival or festival in the entire region with its celebrations spanning around 18 days.

    Where is the St. Maarten Carnival?

    st maarten carnival

    St. Maarten/St. Martinย is a tiny island located in the Caribbean. It is actually the smallest island in the world that is shared by two nations, France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This gives the island its unique European-influenced, Caribbeanย vibe.

    The capital city is Philipsburgย which is where most of the carnival activities will occur at the custom built carnival villageย called the St. Maarten Carnival Villageย which is the epicentre for everything that occurs during carnival.

    What is Carnival in St. Maarten?

    st maarten carnival

    Carnival in St. Maartenย is like mixing New Yearโ€™s revelry, costumed paradesย and lots of loud calypso, socaย and steelpan bandย music together. While Trinidad Carnivalโ€™sย is the largest and most popular in the region, St. Maarten Carnivalย has the longest carnival seasonย and has been growing in popularity year after year.

    St. Maarten Carnivalย is all about bringing together people from all different backgrounds and cultures. Carnival in St. Maartenย is like a West Indiesย block party, where no matter your age, race or background everyone mixes together and has the time of their life.

    Carnival in St. Maartenย is the ultimate celebration of life. It spreads joy across the island and is all about showcasing and enjoying the local culture, food, music and pageantry. St. Maarten Carnivalย is the biggest event of the year and one of the islandโ€™s main largest attractions!

    Carnivaland
    ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Miami Carnival

    How do they celebrate carnival in St. Maarten?

    sint maarten carnival

    For two months the locals unite and hit the streets dressed in costumes, singing, dancing, making music and enjoying life! St. Maarten Carnivalย is all about celebrating the local culture and heritage. It reflects the many influences and colorful identity of the island.

    Every day the island hostโ€™s an exciting event to embrace and celebrate St. Maartenโ€™s rich history and culture. Carnivalย is celebrated with parades, concerts, calypso competitions, steelpan bands, reggae bands, feathers, dancing, lots of feasting and drinking, partying, costumes, pageants and more.

    Carnival Village

    St. Maartenโ€™s Carnival Villageย is like nothing else in the Caribbean, or the world for that matter. It is the worldโ€™s first purposely-built carnival venue, the St. Maartenโ€™s Carnival Village. The Carnival Village makes St. Maartenโ€™s Carnivalย one of the most unique Caribbean Carnivals.

    It is essentially a giant rectangular shaped enclosure that is sort of reminiscent of an old country fair but with an unmistakable Caribbean vibe. There are around 80 booths which transform into shops, bars and eateries. Selling toys, arts, craft, clothes, and of course local delicacies like Johnny cakes or BBQ meats.

    The Carnival Villageย also features a permanent state-of-the-art concert stage where major local and international concerts put on shows. This ย year the three major international headliners will be Ashanti, Keyshia Coleย andย Ja Rule. They will be joined by local artists Kenyo Baly and Natisha Hanson.

    What is the history of Carnival in St. Maarten?

    sint maarten carnival

    The first ever St. Maarten Carnivalย took place in 1970โ€™s on St. Maartenโ€™s Dayย which is the 11thย November. It initially started out as an initiative by the Oranje Committee to celebrate the island and to attract tourism.

    Carnivaland
    ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Putignano Carnival

    Two committee members were sent to St. Thomas Carnival, with the intention of recreating a similar celebration in St. Maarten. The first carnival was funded by local businesses who donated to the festivities with bands, troupes, food, drinks and even free electricity all provided to the first celebration.

    The French part of the island started to host their own St Maartenโ€™s Dayย celebrations which stole a bit of the carnivalโ€™s thunder. So the celebrations were moved to the Queenโ€™s birthday, April 30th, to host the Grand Carnival Parade. More celebrations and festivities started to take place around the parade, to keep the good times rolling and the carnival continued to grow.

    St. Maarten Carnivalย is absolutely jam packed with everything a carnival-lover could possibly want. There will be three incredible and colorful masquerade parades, six massive concerts with major international stars and the biggest Jโ€™ouvertย in the Caribbean!

    St. Maarten Grand Carnival Parade & J’Ouvert

    st maarten carnival

    You have to have a lot of stamina if you were to bear through an entire 33 days of carnival celebrations. Most visitors will concentrate on attending the more important events. The two most popular events at this carnival are the Grand Carnival Parade and the break of dawn paradeย known as Jโ€™ouvertย which begins at 4am in downtown Philipsburg.

    The biggest event is the Grand Carnival Paradeย which always takes place on April 30th where thousands of spectators come out to see the incredible display of colorful costumes, floats,ย steelpan bands, dancers, singers, musicians, local cuisine and drinks. Theย paradeย winds its way from the Carnival Villageย through the downtown area.

    Carnivaland
    ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช Binche Carnival

    Days after the parade, the carnival will close with the burning of King MouMou, a straw stuffed effigy who presided over the carnival celebrations. This marks the end ofย carnivalย and the island of St. Maarten then returns to its normal tranquil self until the next year’s carnival!

    Where to stay in St. Maarten for Carnival?

    St. Maarten’s Carnivalย is actually a great one to attend because its celebrations occur at the end of April which is right after the hotel rates in the region drop from around 30-50% from the winter season highs.

    Not only are the hotels much cheaper during St. Maartenโ€™s carnival, the weather is still picture postcard clear because its well before the rainy season starts. You have plenty of accommodation options from luxury resorts and hotels, guest houses, rentals, there is something to fit every budget.

    Check out booking.com for some great accommodation deals here.

    St. Maarten Carnival Tips

    sint maarten carnival

    Itโ€™s good to note that carnival activities and events run on โ€œCaribbean timeโ€ so things may start late and run overtime, and no one seems to mind much, so just take note and learn to go with the flow. Visitors donโ€™t need to wear a costume, all you need is to turn up and be ready to have a good time!

    The Grand Paradeย runs for around 3 hours and the sun can be quite strong so wear adequate sun protection. Many hotels actually supply large shade tents along key sections of the paradeย routes for their guests, so ask if your hotel does that.

    Carnivaland
    ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Masopust in the Hlinecko Region

    How to get to and around St. Maarten?

    There are two airports in St. Maartenย the main one is St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) and the smaller one is L’Espรฉrance Airport located on the French side ofย St. Martin. There is transport around the island but shuttle services that will take you around. You can also rent a car which makes it easier.

    Carnivaland recommends tours, events and accommodation based on our extensive experience and knowledge of them. We may earn affiliate commission from affiliate links in this article.ย Read more about our policy.

    Share:

    Location Map

    Table of Contents
      Add a header to begin generating the table of contents
      Booking.com

      You might also like

      Carnaval de Ciudad del Cabo
      Carnivals

      ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Cape Town Carnival

        South Africa, Cape Town
        March 18, 2023 ยท 

      The Cape Town Carnival is one of the treasures of Africa, a melting pot of cultures that has an amazing parade, epic floats and music that will leave its mark on you forever.
      carnaval oruro
      Carnivals

      ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ด Oruro Carnival

        Bolivia, Oruro
        Feb 16 โ€“ Feb 22 2023

      Oruro Carnival is Boliviaโ€™s top tourist attraction. It is an incredible mix between the ancient Andean and Spanish colonial traditions and religions. Here is everything you need to know about attending carnival in Oruro, Bolivia.
      carnaval de aalborg
      Carnivals

      ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Aalborg Carnival

        Denmark, Aalborg
        May 25, 2024 ยท 

      Aalborg Carnival is the largest carnival in Scandinavia. It occurs every spring and is said to be one of the top ten best carnivals in the world!
      carnaval martinica
      Carnivals

      ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ถ Martinique Carnival

        Martinique, Fort-de-France
        February 16, 2023 ยท February 22, 2023

      The Martinique Carnival is one of the most popular festivals in the Caribbean, which makes this island receive a large number of visitors during the month of February who want to experience this magical celebration.
      Carnaval de Goa
      Carnivals

      ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ Goa Carnival

        India, Goa
        February 18, 2023 ยท February 21, 2023

      Goa Carnival is one of the few carnivals in Asia and the only carnival celebration in India. It is a colorful and vibrant celebration before the onset of lent. Here is everything you need to know about celebrating carnival in Goa!
      Maspalomas Carnival
      Carnivals

      ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ The International Carnival of Maspalomas

        Spain, Maspalomas
        Mar 7 - Mar 17 2024

      Maspalomas Carnival takes place in a resort town in Spainโ€™s Canary Islands. There is no better place to enjoy carnival with wild parties, great weather and beautiful beaches.
      carnivaland

      Your Guide to Carnivals around the World

      Instagram #carnivaland