Jump over to the Caribbean for Summer Carnival 2022
If you are planning on visiting the Caribbean this summer, you shouldn’t miss the colorful Carnival excitement of the islands. Summer carnival heats up, starting with Saint Lucia next week, and Island Routes is serving up unique packages and spectator passes for a chance to get a taste of all the excitement.
Carnival History
The origins of Carnival trace back to Trinidad and was further expanded with the creation of the steelpan on the island in the 1930s. The steelpan was the only acoustic instrument created in the world in the 20th century. Every year, Trinidad and Tobago unveils their contemporary carnival celebrations following Ash Wednesday and the steelpan is their signature instrument. The Carnival season, while beginning in March, continues on to August, with the Jamaica Carnival picking things up from Trinidad in July this past week.
Caribbean Nationals everywhere tune into the Carnival season. Canada’s Caribana in July and the UK’s Notting Hill Carnival in August are two of the celebrations that have made it into the general calendar.
Here are some places you can visit to get a taste of the carnival experience:
St. Lucia
Road March in the capital city, Castries
Date: July 18-19, 2022
What to Expect:
St. Lucia’s carnival or as they call it the ‘real carnival’ kicked off with street and sea celebrations with the highlight event being the Panorama Steelpan Competition. Book with Island Routes to watch the festivities from the sea with a boat ride along the coast for panoramic views of the colorful city and all its excitement.
Antigua
Road March in the capital city, St John’s
Date: August 1-2, 2022
What to Expect:
The Caribbean’s Greatest Summer Festival unfolds with a combination of artistic and cultural talent, music, steelbands and calypso; the main parade is all the rage with music bands, and revelers in colorful, feather costumes, bringing the city to life.
Barbados
Crop Over - Kadooment Day
Date: August 1, 2022
What to Expect:
Crop Over, as the Barbados Carnival is called, is a colorful sea of culture that takes place over the course of 3 months. The festival got its name from the country’s formative days as the world’s largest producer of sugarcane. At the end of a successful year of harvest, they celebrated with a party known as the ‘Crop Over Celebration’. The 3-month celebration ends with the Grand Kadooment which is a road march though the small island.
Grenada
2 days of J'ouvert and Mass
Date: August 8-9, 2022
What to Expect:
The Grenada Carnival is a two-day celebration of J’ouvert and street parties. J’ouvert is a colorful explosion of paints, mixed in with revelers coated in Mud and Pitch Oil, while others come running dressed as Jab Jab, otherwise called Lucifer. It is held in the early morning giving a break to gear up for the parade which starts in the afternoon; and leads into one of the Caribbean’s biggest LED street parties.
For more information or to take part in the island festivities, click here.
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