Everything you need to know about St Lucia Carnival

We’re driving past a wall in Castries, St Lucia. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think this was just any other wall, but it isn’t: it’s the bum bum wall. Every July, during Carnival, hundreds rainbow-clad masqueraders ascend this spray-painted landmark in celebration, jumping and twerking and whining to the beat of sweet soca music. It’s quite a sight.

With its turquoise waters, beautiful beaches and vibrant culture, it’s not exactly difficult to find an excuse to visit this corner of the Caribbean—but if you’re looking for one, St Lucia Carnival is a good place to start. The festivities attracted around 18,000 visitors in July 2024, and I was one of them. I donned my sparkles and jumped in a Mas band, a complete newbie to Carnival culture outside of Notting Hill in London, spending two days dancing, eating, drinking and meeting new people in the gorgeous backdrop of Pitons mountains and Atlantic ocean. 

‘Carnival hopping’ is set to make waves as a travel trend this year. Thinking about joining the fun in 2025? Here is everything you need to know about planning a trip to St Lucia Carnival.

When is St Lucia carnival?

St Lucia Carnival typically peaks in the second week of July, with the official Parade of the Bands held on a Monday, a public holiday, and Tuesday. 

In 2025, those dates are July 21 and 22, but most people will want to arrive earlier to soak in the atmosphere and attend some of the other parties.

Previously, festivities took place in February and March, before Lent, though it was changed in the late 90s to avoid clashing with Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival, the biggest in the Caribbean. From here, St Lucian carnival became more commercial and larger concert-style events were added to the calendar.

What is the history of St Lucia Carnival? 

Rio and Notting Hill might take the spotlight when it comes to well-known Carnival celebrations, but bigger doesn’t always mean better.  

Like other Caribbean islands, carnival is a huge part of St Lucian culture. Taking place annually in July, it is an annual cultural festival, attracting visitors from neighboring islands and all around the world.  

The origins of St Lucia Carnival are up for debate, though it’s largely agreed that the first, in its current form, took place in 1947, just after World War II. Locals dressed up in DIY costumes and held parades on Shrove Tuesday, and the year after, it became a more organized affair. 

These Carnival festivities can be traced back to pre-Lenten Catholic traditions: the customs were brought over to the Caribbean by European colonists in the 18th century, and after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834, the freed African people started to fuse it with their own art and customs. This set the stage for the Carnival we know today: a unique mix of cultural influences, featuring steel bands, calypso and costumes. 

These days, the main St Lucian carnival festivities take place in Castries, with a week of arts competitions and cultural showcases, such as Junior carnival, Panorama and the Calypso Monarch competition, as well as street music and endless parties, known as fetes. It culminates with a huge two-day street party and parade of Mas bands, where masqueraders in extravagant costumes dance down the roads to spectators.

How do you get there?

From the UK, direct flights to St Lucia are available from London Gatwick with airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. I flew from London into Hewanorra International Airport with BA.

The flight takes around eight and a half hours, landing at the southern end of the island. Then, you’re probably looking at an hour-long drive to the capital, Castries, where most of the carnival action unfolds.

From the US, the fastest flight is from New York John F Kennedy Airport and takes around four and a half hours.

They speak English in St Lucia, due to its history with the Commonwealth, which makes getting around relatively simple for English-speakers.

Where should you stay?

Accommodation in St Lucia ranges from luxury resorts to boutique guesthouses and budget-friendly Airbnbs. Luckily, the island is small enough that you’ll not have to travel too far to get in on the carnival action, wherever you are. But be sure to book accommodation early: carnival season is peak time and rooms can sell out. 

I stayed in Sandals Regency La Toc, a large glossy resort attracting lots of British and American guests, with various pools, 314 rooms, a gorgeous beach, gym, nine restaurants and seven bars, located northwest of the island, close to Castries. We got into Castries by taking a cab, though you can also rent a car or take a bus. 

I stayed in one of the hotels’s new oceanfront butler villas, with its own private pool, two floors, butler service and sweeping views of the Caribbean ocean. Since Carnival was so busy, having everything inclusive – breakfast, dinner – ready to go was really helpful in making things as stress-free as possible, though less pricey options are also available.

How much does it cost to go to St Lucia Carnival?

This really depends on how you do it. You can go as a spectator and see all of the action of the parade for free, on the roads, at your own convenience. Buying tickets to private-run parties can cost anything from £20 to £100, so take your pick (you can find a list of private events on the official website).

You can also join a Mas Band (short for masquerade) to ‘play Mas’ and ‘jump’ in the Parade of the Bands, which is where the action really unfolds. I jumped with Legends Carnival Band, though there are plenty to choose from, including the biggest, Just 4 Fun. They all come in at different price points. 

If you decide to jump, your biggest cost will be your costume, which typically costs anything from £350 to £1200 ($427 to $1,464) for women – yes, really – and £400 to £550 ($488 to $671) for men. It’s known that some people will take out loans for Carnival costumes – this was even advertised on buses in town. That said, these pieces are handmade and highly intricate, created by local artisans with multiple parts made with delicate feathers, glitter and jewels. You’ll be able to pick it up on a day prior to the parade. 

Included with your costume purchase, you’ll get wristbands for your band and day packs for each of the two days, with snacks, a water bottle and other useful things. VIP sections of bands typically cost more, and include front section access, food and drinks tokens, boat rides and more. 

You’ll also want to budget for food and drinks on the day, transport and any extra activities. 

What do you wear if you’re going in costume? 

I jumped with Legends, taking part in what is known as ‘pretty mas’. My day one costume was an icy blue sparkly bra with matching arm and leg bands and a bedazzled hat (very ‘Dancing on Ice’), while day two was a bit more relaxed, with an all-in-one gold glittery swimsuit. People of all shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities jump in the bands, but think carefully about the design of your costume and shop around before you decide: while it’s expected for outfits to be more on the revealing side, make sure the fit is comfortable (it is two long days of dancing in the sun, after all). Be sure to try it on for size well in advance in case of any alterations (I had to have a last-minute tweak to mine due to a slight sizing malfunction). 

Unfortunately, pretty mas costumes still tend not to be recycled year to year: usually, they get destroyed or people get a new one each year. But there is an increasing degree of customization, especially on day two. We came across Know Your Caribbean on the parade route: two ladies wearing beautiful DIY costumes made out of bin bags and bottle tops, holding signs saying ‘Don’t be a malpwop’ (the creole word for ‘dirty’), campaigning for people to pick up their rubbish and stop littering on beaches. 

There is also ‘ole Mas’ competition, featuring more traditional handmade mas costumes referencing stories of folklore, freedom and strength, which tend to accompany old-school Calypso music and reference the island’s colonial past. Many of these tend to be huge, stilt-like structures with moving parts and intricate details (we spotted lots along the route). 

You’ll also probably want to bring a bumbag with you to store money, essentials and a portable phone charger. Most importantly, wear comfy shoes.

What is it like to jump in the Parade of Bands?  

The most important thing to remember about carnival is that it is all about pace. It’s a long, fun-filled two days, and even longer if you take part in fetes. Don’t go too hard from the get-go.

The parade of the bands takes place on Monday and Tuesday, kicking off around 11am. The route starts at Union, just outside of Castries, and finishes in the town centre, at the roundabout where the judging stage is set up. Each band has allocated time slots to start moving down the road next to others in mas with the same costume designs, however, many people join their band en route. 

Day one of the parade is all about costume judging, so this will usually see the more extravagant costumes come out: and the scenes are pretty spectacular. Bands cross the stage and are rated by a panel of judges, competing for the Band of the Year award, where the largest crowds of onlookers congregate. Day two is more freestyle.

Each band has provisions: a bar and foodtrucks, even loos, which travel on the route with you. Think of it like a slow-moving street party, with float structures and sound systems dotting the colorful mass of people. The music is eclectic: from Burna Boy to a soca remix of Lana Del Rey to more traditional calypso. There tends to be a stand-out song each year, played on repeat, which always picks the crowd up if they’re feeling tired (this year was the very catchy ‘Come Home’, by Nailah Blackman x Skinny Fabulous).

The parade was long, but ridiculously fun and full of very friendly people. We were finished by about 4pm, leaving lots of time to recover for the next day after all of that dancing. 

What about the fetes? 

It’s not only about the parade. A load of warm-up events take place in the lead-up, including popular fetes like ‘Colour Me Red’, held on Pigeon Island, a big festival-like event with huge artists from overseas and Saint Lucian performers. 

J’ouvert is the early-morning street party where revellers cover themselves in paint, mud, or powder: this dates back to when slavery was abolished in the Caribbean in the early 1800s, and is usually held on very early on Carnival Monday (we’re talking 4am, with Carnival starting at 12pm, so expect little sleep). I didn’t go to J’ouvert, but in hindsight, I wish I had.

Then there are other beach and boat parties, as well as competitions, such as the Soca Monarch Competition and the Calypso competition, which are ticketed and take place in town, offering another taste of St Lucian culture with local performers, social commentary and delicious street food stands serving up rice, beans and ground provisions. 

What else is there to do in St Lucia?

If you’re looking for more things to do on either side of your trip, and you’re somehow bored of the many beaches to lie on and coves to snorkel in, you’re in luck. 

You can discover the country’s dark history with a tour of Pigeon Island, take a segway tour from Lucian Style segways, slather yourself in mud at the drive-in volcanic sulphur springs, take a boat ride around the island (ours was with Knotty Girls) to admire the UNESCO World Heritage Pitons from afar (or brave yourself to hike them), which you’ll recognize from the backdrop of Pirates of the Caribbean. In other words? You’re certainly not going to get bored. 

Next year’s St Lucia Carnival takes place from 1-23 July 2025, with the two main parade days on July 21 and 22. Find out more about Carnival here and about visiting St Lucia here. 

Time Out travelled as guests of Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.  Our reviews and recommendations have been editorially independent since 1968. For more, see our editorial guidelines.