2024 Saint Lucia Carnival
Saint Lucia Carnival is a lively and vibrant celebration of Saint Lucia’s rich culture and heritage! This celebration evolved from the islands unique mix of Catholic, Caribbean and African heritage. Saint Lucia Carnival is when you can
experience local culture and its loudest, brightest, rawest and purest! It is the largest and most important cultural event in Saint Lucia with over 5000 costumed revelers taking part. As well as 30,000 spectators and a television audience
of over 60,000. Saint Lucia transforms into a massive party. Saint Lucia Carnival is something to behold. The island is filled with the sound of drums, Calypso, Soca, Reggae, banjos, feathers, glitter, beads, sequins and happy people dancing
under the sun! Whether you join in the procession or just spectate from the sidelines you are guaranteed to have an amazing time! The celebration was originally held before the start of Lent but was moved to summer so it wouldn’t compete with Trinidad and Tobago Carnival.
Schedule of Events
The Parties
Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival
After the humble celebration of Holy Week, the island blossoms back to its partying tendencies with the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival. Held for two weeks around the end of April and begining of May each year, this festival showcases the island’s
stunning selection of jazz musicians as well as international jazz stars. The bulk of the celebrations revolve around the beautiful Pigeon Island, however, jazz performances are set up around the island to encourage locals to get out and renew their love
for their home island while experiencing great music, and for tourists to find an excuse to visit these spots for the first time.
The first Saint Lucia Jazz Festival was held in 1992 as an initiative to extend the tourist season and increase foreign exchange in Saint Lucia into May which had previously been a relatively quiet period. It was inspired by the launching of the October
Jazz Festival in 1991 spearheaded by Luther Francois as Musical Director. Originally 4 locations were used; however today the festival has expanded and several locations around the island are used to host performances (see list below). At first, the festival
attendances were small. But as the years passed, word spread helped by coverage on the BET J television network, and it is now a well-established fixture on the Jazz festival calendar.Over the past few years the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival has developed a
reputation for the quality of the artistes it attracts and now ranks #1 on the list on the E! entertainment top 5 Festivals in the world.
In 2011 the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary which was a rare achievement as several other Jazz festivals established in the Caribbean region had failed. More recently, in 2013, Saint Lucia Jazz was rebranded as the Saint Lucia
Jazz & Arts Festival. The rebranding included a fashion show branded as Saint Lucia HOT Couture, the Cultural Explosion, Saint Lucia Sound Stage, and Blu Session - Word in an Altered Scale. Dance, art, theatre and culinary arts formed part of the new rebranding experience.
Saint Lucia Carnival
Pumping rhythms, sexy costumes and the people dancing under the warm Caribbean sun; welcome to St Lucia Carnival! Almost on the heels of the annual Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, Saint Lucia’s cultural landscape morphs into a flurry of chrome plated steel drums, feathers, and beads. No matter where you are or who you are, Saint Lucia Carnival is something to behold. In the months, weeks and hours leading up to Saint Lucia Carnival, there are numerous events that are a must see, whether you’re a Carnival veteran, or Carnival newbie. Some of the staple events - the Calypso Tents, Calypso Monarch, Party Monarch, and Carnival Parade are the deep-rooted cultural aspects of Saint Lucia Carnival. But it won’t be Carnival without the ‘wining’ and jumping and non-stop partying.
Here’s a great tip for first-time Carnival revellers - ‘wining’, is a local Caribbean-wide term used to describe the rotational movement of the hips either to the left or to the right, whichever way your waistline can go really. Before you brave any Saint Lucia Carnival event, don’t be afraid to perfect your ‘wining’ motions. You can bet on someone asking pretty ladies to “take ah wine.” Either way, master the move so that you keep up with the locals and really party like a Saint Lucian.By the time Carnival Monday rolls around, your dancing skills will help burn off all the yummy calories you’ll be consuming – let’s face it; Saint Lucia’s Carnival food scene is just as fabulous! The ultimate Carnival experience is when one joins a “band.” Competing band members flock together at predetermined locations near the staging area, for the beginning of what will be a hyperactive dance session through the city’s streets. With speakers the size of warehouse refrigerators, the vibrations and sounds begin with only the trance of soca leading you throughout the streets of Saint Lucia.
If you’re still alive at the end of Carnival Monday, many band members will go off to enjoy official band parties or you can opt to go home to revitalize yourself – don’t worry, you can comfort yourself by the fact that the next day is Carnival Tuesday.
