Carnival: the most fun you can have while wearing feathers

CULTURAL ROOTS 

But this isn’t just a flamboyant party, it has deep cultural roots. If you take part, it’s important to know that. An Instagram background this is not. 

Born of a rebellion against enslavement, now an expression of identity and freedom, you don’t know an island until you’ve seen its carnival.

“Carnival is a time when we celebrate our culture and our communities,” says Lorine Charles-St Jules, chief executive of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. After a forced two-year hiatus during the pandemic, and a more subdued 2022, this year was the first year the festivities returned in full.

“Carnival is one of our signature events and is heralded as one of the best in the Caribbean,” she adds. “While Saint Lucia’s natural assets are a pull for visitors, a big part of the island’s charm is our rich heritage and people. The colourful and striking costumes and the energising music reflect the past and present of Saint Lucia.”

Though the majority of the celebrations take part in the north – primarily around Castries (the capital), Rodney Bay and Pigeon Island – and it’s a wise choice to book accommodation there for the build-up and parade days themselves, this is a whole island thing. I learn that a whopping 150,000 people are participating in some form in this year’s celebrations. With a population of around 180,000, that’s a staggering number.

Taking place during the island’s low tourism season – which makes it an affordable time to visit if you book early enough – Carnival has also become a huge draw for visitors. This year, 18,000 have flocked here over the party period. Of these, around 3,600, like me, have registered to play mas with a masquerade band. 

BUSY ISLAND

However, the build-up is just as important. From street parties to concerts, cook-outs to boat parties, if your clients aren’t quite ready to don an elaborate costume, there’s something happening every day in the month leading up to the two main parade days.

The Panorama steel pan competitions, the King and Queen of the Bands (where the colossal showpiece costumes of the bands compete), and the Power and Groovy Monarch (where the songs created for this year’s carnival vie to be crowned champion), offer a calmer taste of things to come.

At Gros Islet’s famous Friday night street party – a year-round staple for tasting conch (lambi in Creole) straight from the grill, sample homemade spiced rum from shack bars such as Irie’s, to an ear-splitting soundtrack of Soca – I’m loosening my waistline and getting a taste of the latest music. “Gyal, this is d’ song, I swear,” a fellow imbiber at the bar tells me as Power Soca runner-up Hello Carnival by Ezra D’funmachine, comes on.

Then, there’s the fetes; if you’re not at one, you’ll hear the bass reverberating from one nearby. Ramping up in the week before carnival, these ticketed parties run round the clock. They require, nay, demand stamina. And while some are laid-back events where you bring your own drinks and kick back, others have fancy dress codes, or are about getting either soaked, or dirty.

It’s noon when I decide to call it a day and leave Blocko, a fete that’s been going strong for seven hours. The party descriptor reads “Feel the power of d’ powder, paint and water raining down like blessings, baptising you in the spirit of bacchanal and of pure joy!” As I duck below a guy wielding a fire hose, past a devil carrying a tree branch, I’m blasted with a face full of orange powder. I guess I’ve just been baptised. 

After a short sleep, it’s time to don my costume. Registering for a band is essential. And picking one with the right vibes is key. Longstanding Just 4 Fun does what its name suggests and is a firm local favourite, whereas newer bands like Xuvo cater for an international crowd who want a top-tier costume. Registrations usually begin from late February, and close weeks before the big day. All your drinks and food are included in your costume price, which ranges from US$500-1,000. Toilets are provided too; you’ve not lived until you’ve peed on a moving truck.

Four or so hours in, and it’s time for my band, Fuzion, to cross the stage and be judged; the pinnacle of the day for any band. A euphoric, almost spiritual feeling hits me. I look around at hundreds of people stomping in unison down the street together, and notice every single face is beaming. It’s a simple but rare and humbling moment of being human, and entirely carefree. It’s energy, and something I wish I could bottle.

The day after, my legs are so broken from engaging thigh muscles I forgot I have, all I can manage is sitting down. This is normal. The new St Lucia Bamboo Rafting experience, where I slowly float down the Roseau river rowed by – very crucially – someone else, is perfect. Drifting along, something one of the Soca bands, Kes, said at the Colour Me Red concert a few days before, loops around my brain.

“Carnival is a special time. We take back the streets for the people. It’s a time to give thanks to being human, thanks for humanity. All we know is love down here.” 

Book it: Lusso Travel offers seven nights at the Landings Resort & Spa, from £2,395 per person including return economy flights with British Airways, and private transfers. Price is based on two people sharing a One Bedroom Villa Suite Marina View, on a bed and breakfast basis, and includes a 40% early booking bonus. Terms and conditions apply. Book by 23 February 2024 for stays until 4 January 2025; lussotravel.com, stlucia.org