CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2026-2027

WHAT IS CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL WEEK?

It's Your Complete Event & Carnival Calendar

The largest lineup of Caribbean carnivals events,  and destination party events for 2026 and 2027.

Unless otherwise noted, events listed below attract between 5,000 to over 1,000,000 attendees annually. Major festivals sell out hotels early — book accommodations in advance.

New York West Indian American Labor Day Carnival

  • Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA

  • Dates: September 3–7, 2026

  • What makes it exciting: This is one of the largest and most legendary street spectacles in North America. Millions of people gather to experience massive nightly concerts and steelpan competitions at the Brooklyn Museum, culminating in an electric, multi-million-person road march down Eastern Parkway on Labor Day Monday. It brings the pure, raw energy of the islands straight to the heart of NYC.

Belize Carnival

  • Location: Belize City, Belize

  • Dates: September 2026 (Dates TBA)

  • What makes it exciting: This carnival offers a unique fusion of Central American flavor and traditional Caribbean carnival culture. Seamlessly integrated into the country's national September Independence celebrations, it features high-energy street dancing, rhythmic soca music, and local cultural presentations that you won't find anywhere else in the region.

Miami Broward Carnival

  • Location: Miami, Florida, USA

  • Dates: October 3–11, 2026

  • What makes it exciting: This event is the absolute crown jewel of the autumn travel calendar, perfectly timed over the holiday weekend. Miami transforms into a playground of ultra-premium, high-production outdoor fetes and pool parties. The weekend features a massive official Saturday J'ouvert and a stunning Parade of Bands on Sunday that attracts the world's top soca artists and costumed masqueraders.

Tobago Carnival

  • Location: Scarborough, Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago)

  • Dates: Late October / Early November 2026 (Dates TBA)

  • What makes it exciting: As the newer, standalone sister festival to Trinidad’s massive winter event, Tobago offers a boutique, intimate alternative. It is perfect for travelers who want to pair intense weekend street parades and premium day fetes with a stunning, laid-back beach vacation backdrop.

St. Kitts and Nevis Sugar Mas 55

  • Location: Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis

  • Dates: December 11, 2026 – January 2, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This is the ultimate holiday escape. Sugar Mas perfectly blends modern, high-energy soca competitions and paint-soaked street jamming with deep-rooted Caribbean Christmas folklore. Travelers get to experience a unique holiday spirit filled with traditional masquerades, street tracking, and non-stop festive energy.

Montserrat Festival

  • Location: Plymouth/Brades, Montserrat

  • Dates: Mid-December 2026 – January 1, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This tight-knit, deeply cultural year-end celebration meshes festive holiday spirit, local calypso battles, and ancestral masquerade troupes. It is a highly welcoming, community-driven festival that gives visitors an authentic look into traditional island culture during the Christmas season.

Crucian Christmas Carnival

  • Location: Christiansted & Frederiksted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

  • Dates: December 26, 2026 – January 4, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This festival gives holiday travelers the absolute best of both worlds. You get the fast-paced, colorful energy of modern Caribbean carnival road marches combined with warm, classic Christmas village food, live Latin-infused soca music, and beautiful cultural parades.

Junkanoo

  • Location: Nassau, Bahamas

  • Dates: December 26, 2026 & January 1, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Junkanoo is a spectacular, historically rich street rush rooted in ancestral freedom celebrations. In the dead of night on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, fiercely competitive groups rush the streets of Nassau wearing mind-blowing, towering costumes made entirely of cardboard and crepe paper, moving to the thunderous roar of goatskin drums and brass.

🗓️ Full 2027 Global Caribbean Carnival Schedule

Mas Domnik

  • Location: Roseau, Dominica

  • Dates: January 9 – February 10, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Affectionately known as "The Real Mas," Dominica stands out globally for its fierce preservation of raw African and Creole heritage. Visitors are drawn to the infectious local "lapo kabwit" drum beats, traditional "sensay" costumes, and an authentic, uncommercialized street jump-up that honors pure carnival history.

Trinidad Carnival

  • Location: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

  • Dates: February 3–10, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This is the undeniable "Mecca of Carnival" and the biggest, most influential event on the global calendar. It is a bucket-list, high-budget production where months of non-stop premium all-inclusive fetes and steelpan finals culminate in an explosive, two-day global parade of color on February 8 and 9, 2027.

Guadeloupe Carnival

  • Location: Basse-Terre & Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe

  • Dates: February 3–10, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This festival offers a mesmerizing, highly rhythmic French West Indies experience. Running all winter and hitting its peak right before Ash Wednesday, it is famous for its distinct, fast-paced drum groups ("Po") and grand, elegantly coordinated costume troupes that completely take over the island towns.

National Pre-Lenten Carnivals (The Dutch ABC & French Islands)

  • Location: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Martinique, and Haiti

  • Dates: February 2027 (Pre-Ash Wednesday peak)

  • What makes it exciting: This block of individual island carnivals features unique musical styles like Dutch-Caribbean "tumba" music and glittering, highly detailed Grand Parades. Travelers can island-hop to experience the striking visual contrasts, beach parties, and coastal parades that sweep these stunning islands before Lent begins.

Mashramani

  • Location: Georgetown, Guyana

  • Dates: February 23, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Celebrating Guyana’s Republic Day, "Mash" is an annual cultural explosion. It is famous for its distinct, local chutney-soca music scene, vibrant national costume floats, and massive public street parties where the entire country comes together to celebrate freedom and heritage.

Jamaica Carnival

  • Location: Kingston & Ocho Rios, Jamaica

  • Dates: March 31 – April 6, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This is a rapidly growing, highly commercial tourist favorite that hits right after the Easter holidays. It is famous for bringing elite Trinidadian soca energy and blending it seamlessly with Jamaica’s legendary, high-profile nightlife, exclusive dancehall crossover events, and stunning beach-fete backdrops.

SXM Carnival

  • Location: Philipsburg, St. Maarten

  • Dates: April 15 – May 3, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Boasting one of the longest and most extensive schedules in the region, St. Maarten offers nearly three weeks of celebration. It features a packed lineup of major nightly international concerts, high-energy beach fetes, and vibrant, sun-soaked street parades that make it a premier spring vacation choice.

Cayman Islands Batabano

  • Location: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

  • Dates: Late April / Early May 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Batabano offers a beautiful, breezy, boutique carnival experience. It is perfect for travelers looking to combine a high-end luxury beach vacation with a fun, accessible, and incredibly colorful street parade that marches directly along the island's iconic Seven Mile Beach.

Guyana Carnival

  • Location: Georgetown, Guyana

  • Dates: Mid-May 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This is the independent, highly commercial, and private-band-driven alternative to Mashramani. It features an ultra-premium week of non-stop, all-inclusive day parties, boat cruises, major international concerts, and a modern, resort-style road march designed specifically for party tourists.

Atlanta Caribbean Carnival

  • Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA

  • Dates: May 27–31, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: A massive Memorial Day Weekend staple in the United States. It features a spectacular, high-energy street parade right down Peachtree Street on May 29, 2027, accompanied by a massive festival village showcasing regional Caribbean artists, food vendors, and cultural crafts.

CayMAS Carnival

  • Location: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

  • Dates: Late June / Early July 2027

  • What makes it exciting: A booming, modern alternative track in the Cayman Islands that caters directly to hardcore soca lovers. It features a premium, action-packed weekend of boat cruise fetes, international DJ events, and a vibrant costumed road march against crystal-clear Caribbean waters.

Vincy Mas

  • Location: Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

  • Dates: June 30 – July 7, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Vincy Mas is a powerhouse summer festival renowned for its raw energy. Travelers flock here for the incredibly competitive steelpan championships, elite local calypso and ragga-soca artists, and the wild, unforgettable mud-and-powder J'ouvert street jump-up.

Soca Reggae Festival

  • Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

  • Dates: July 2027 (Dates TBA)

  • What makes it exciting: A major mid-summer Canadian diaspora gem that completely transforms the heart of the Canadian Prairies. It brings a massive cultural hub of live Caribbean music, artisan crafts, international food trucks, and a family-friendly festival vibe to thousands of attendees.

St. Lucia Carnival

  • Location: Castries, St. Lucia

  • Dates: July 14–21, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This is one of the fastest-growing and most sought-after summer carnivals in the world. It offers stunning, dramatic volcanic island backdrops for a world-class week of high-production boat parties, morning breakfast fetes, and elite costumed bands taking over the roads.

Rotterdam Unlimited Summercarnival

  • Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands

  • Dates: July 23–24, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Officially recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event, this is Europe's premier tropical carnival. It features massive live brass bands, live music stages, and a sprawling, multi-cultural street parade that draws nearly a million international visitors to the city.

Barbados Crop Over

  • Location: Bridgetown, Barbados

  • Dates: July 28 – August 3, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: A historic, 300-year-old harvest celebration that is today a top-tier global travel destination (and a favorite of Rihanna). The entire island turns into a massive party network, culminating in the world-famous Grand Kadooment Day parade on August 2, 2027.

Antigua Carnival

  • Location: St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda

  • Dates: July 29 – August 4, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Proudly dubbed "The Caribbean’s Greatest Summer Festival," this carnival commemorates emancipation. It strikes a beautiful balance between historic pageant competitions, fierce calypso battles, high-tempo street jamming, and beautiful beach-side relaxation.

Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana)

  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • Dates: July 29 – August 2, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This is North America’s single largest Caribbean diaspora cultural festival, attracting over one million international travelers. The energy in the city is unmatched, peaking with the iconic Grand Parade taking over Lakeshore Boulevard on Saturday, July 31, 2027.

Anguilla Summer Festival

  • Location: The Valley, Anguilla

  • Dates: Early August 2027

  • What makes it exciting: This festival offers a unique, ocean-centric carnival experience. Alongside standard street parades, it is world-famous for its massive beach parties, live music beach concerts, and thrilling, competitive day-boat races that take over the entire island's coastlines.

Carifiesta Montreal

  • Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

  • Dates: August 2027 (Dates TBA)

  • What makes it exciting: A magnificent explosion of Caribbean music and heritage right in the middle of downtown Montreal. It features an energetic, color-packed parade marching down Sainte-Catherine Street that celebrates North American Caribbean heritage with French-Canadian flair.

BVI Emancipation Festival

  • Location: Tortola, British Virgin Islands

  • Dates: Late July – August 10, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Deeply rooted in cultural history, this festival beautifully honors Virgin Island ancestors. It provides an enriching mix of freedom marches, local food fairs, gospel celebrations, and high-energy modern soca villages.

Grenada Spicemas

  • Location: St. George's, Grenada

  • Dates: August 4–11, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: World-renowned for its raw, unfiltered cultural expressions. It features the legendary, oil-and-paint-soaked Jab Jab J'ouvert morning run on August 9 and 10, 2027—widely regarded as one of the most authentic and thrilling spectacles in the entire Caribbean.

Notting Hill Carnival

  • Location: London, United Kingdom

  • Dates: August 28–30, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: Europe’s biggest and most iconic street festival. It completely transforms West London with dozens of massive, static sound systems blasting soca and reggae, a beautiful Children's Parade on Sunday, and a massive Adults Parade climax on Bank Holiday Monday, August 30, 2027.

New York Labor Day Carnival

  • Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA

  • Dates: September 2–6, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: The 2027 edition of the iconic Brooklyn staple, bringing millions together for Caribbean music, food, and culture, peaking on Labor Day Monday, September 6, 2027.

Miami Broward Carnival

  • Location: Miami, Florida, USA

  • Dates: October 2–10, 2027

  • What makes it exciting: The grand finale of the 2027 global travel track, closing out the massive annual carnival circuit over Columbus Day Weekend.