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After two years without Carnival, or Vincy mas as it is called, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Vincent and the Grenadines will hold its biggest festival once more!
Initially, there was a debate if the celebrations were going to be a series of vaccinated events, but based on the newest health protocols, the event received the green light and will return as it was before the pandemic.
The hottest Carnival in the Caribbean, as the Vincy Mas is known, will be held from June 24 and will go until July 5, but this dates can change. According to the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Carlos James, if there is an increase of 5% or more in the cases of covid few days prior to the carnival dates, the full scale event will be cancelled and in its place St. Vincent and the Grenadines will have a series of fully vaccinated events.
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The Vincy Mas
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ carnival is considered the hottest carnival in the Caribbean. The carnival fills the island’s streets of colours, music, dancing, foods, costumes, a lot of culture, and it attracts thousands of people, locals and tourists, to the biggest festival on the island.
Originally the Vincy Mas was just celebrations of the Europeans settler, who had indoors private parties in their houses, but throughout history the European cultures mixed with the cultures from the freed slaves that were brought from the African continent, creating a unique experience that can only be seen in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
J’Ouvert & Mardi Gras
Even though the Vincy Mas is a carnival that is celebrated through many days, with people dressed in costumes, street dances, band parades, the J’Ouvert and Mardi Gras, that happens in the last two days, are the main celebrations of the carnival, and they’re the days that you can’t miss.
J’Ouvert
From midnight until dawn, the streets of Kingstown are covered by residents and tourists partying during the J’Ouvert, which can be translated from the French to “from dawn to dawn”. The celebration occur in the last Monday of the St. Vincent’s carnival, and during the J’Ouvert, the participants often wear amazing costumes full of colours and details.
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is the last day of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ carnival. During the Mardi Gras, various band go to the streets to compete for the title of “Band of the Year” – which also sings to the end of the carnival – adding some friendly rivalry, music, dancing, and some fun to the streets of Kingstown.
Recommendations
If you plan to travel to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to see the Vicny Mas, you should start your plans now! It’s wise to plan ahead, because the Caribbean country gets full of tourists, and you may lose the best accommodations. Another recommendation that I can give you is to stay updated to the COVID-19 restrictions and to check the visa requirements.
Wear Comfortable Shoes
Since the festivals are commemorated in the streets, and you probably will have to walk a lot to enjoy everything, it’s nice to chose your most comfortable shoes, so you won’t hurt your feet and being able to assist to all days of the carnival.
Use Sunscreen
If you don’t plan on getting some sunburn and end looking like you just got out of a barbecue’s grill, I really recommend the use of sunscreen, applying it every 30 min.
Sunburn can suck, and if you get too much, it can even incapacitate you because of the pain, and not to mention the possibility of you getting skin cancer from it, so it’s better to keep yourself on your toes and using sunscreen.
Drink lots of water
Take the sun of the Caribbean during June and July add lots of walking that you need to do to see everything during the carnival minus water, and you’ll get dehydrated.
Not that this is good, it’s actually veeeery bad, it can cause headaches, tiredness, weakness and many other things, leaving you incapacitated to enjoy Vincy Mas. So you don’t want to get dehydrated, do you?
Use light clothes
The use of light clothes will help you to keep your energy, especially with the Caribbean sun over your head, and to keep your body hydrated, since you won’t sweat as much as you would if you had thicker clothes. So pack some shorts and t-shirts for your trip.
And the last tip that I can give you, which is the most important by the way, is for you to have fun, after all nothing is worthy if you aren’t having some fun, right?
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