St. Martin St. Maarten Carnival

St. Maarten Carnival

The original idea behind Carnivals was to fatten up before Lent and to blow off some steam though some carnivals are nowhere near Lent. Well who’s watching? Let’s party.

St. Maarten, St. Martin throws itself into celebrations every carnival season (two weeks in February on the French Side and two weeks in April on the Dutch Side).

The backbone of Carnival is the parades when groups of exotically costumed revelers dance along behind wonderfully decorated floats. For the final Grand Parade, around a dozen troupes, each with over 100 members make their way through Philipsburg where the streets are packed with celebrating onlookers. This is called “playing carnival”.

There is also Carnival Village at which a program of concerts, beauty pageants and the much heralded calypso competition are offered every evening as well as the premise being lined with tiny restaurants, bar-b-ques and bars constructed just for the two week period. If you’re here during carnival season, this is heartily recommended.

St. Maarten offers one of the safest carnivals in the Caribbean with a friendly, fun and fabulous spirit. The Rhythm is infectious, the food and dring never end and the party doesn’t stop until the last go home.