Hello to you and thanks for stopping by! If you’re planning your own St. Lucia Carnival trip, you need to know the facts about this amazing festival, right? Here in this post, we’ve compiled what you need to know about St. Lucia Carnival.
General information about St. Lucia:
- St. Lucia is the first island to be named after a woman
- 1.00 USD = 2.6 XCD (Eastern Caribbean Dollar)
- The best way to get around the island is via the minivan-bus service
- Be prepared to drive on the left side of the road if you’re renting a vehicle!
- Dates of the St. Lucia Carnival Parade: 2024 – Monday July 15 and Tuesday July 16; 2025 – Monday July 14 and Tuesday July 15
- There are 2 days of the St. Lucia Carnival Parade: Carnival Monday is the day full costume is worn. Carnival Tuesday is the more casual day when anything goes! More commonly, “Tuesday wear” is worn. This is commonly a blinged up bathing suit or the body wear of a carnival costume
- Although the Carnival related events start many months in advance of the dates of the Carnival Parade, you’ll find more events to attend during the week before the Carnival Parade
History of St. Lucia Carnival
- Began as an impromptu street procession in 1947 following World War II
- Was previously called “The Lucian Mas”
- The festival was originally in February/ March, but was moved to July in 1999 to make way for the bigger and more popular Trinidad Carnival
How to get to St. Lucia
- It would be helpful to purchase your flights at least 6 months in advance. The prices will increase the closer that you get to Carnival
- St. Lucia’s airport codes are UVF & SLU
- SLU is the more convenient airport since it’s located closer to the main tourist areas, but is more expensive to fly into
- Current airlines flying to St. Lucia:
- American
- United
- Delta
- Air Canada
- JetBlue
Where to stay in St. Lucia
- There are a wide variety of accommodations on the island, from internationally branded hotels to guest houses to private apartment rentals
- Here are a handful of popular hotel accommodations for you to check out:
St. Lucia Carnival Costumes
- The businesses that you get your costumes from are called “Bands”
- There are many that you can choose from. Here are a few of the more popular ones:
- Costume prices range from $500-$1200+ USD, with men’s costumes tending to be the less expensive than the women’s costumes
St. Lucia Carnival Music
- St. Lucia is mostly known for their Calypso & Soca music
- One of the most popular St. Lucia Carnival songs in 2023 was “Miss Grippy ” by Shemmy J. Give it a listen here:
Want more?
Then get our FREE Ultimate Guide of Getting to and Surviving Carnival! In our guide, we’ve included so much more info about St. Lucia Carnival and other Caribbean Carnivals. Click here to sign up for it.
And finally, if you’d like to just pack and show up, then Ultimate St. Lucia Carnival is fuh you! Click here to find out more about this experience.
Now Over to You:
Got questions about St. Lucia Carnival? Leave us a comment below!
Til de next lime,
Team Events By Ashé
About Us: Events by Ashé is a company that provides unique and life-changing Caribbean Experiences and we’re all passionate about the Carnival lifestyle. The Founders and travel curators, Esha and Tarik, even met during Trinidad Carnival back in 2006! We’re so passionate about Carnival that we’ve created Ultimate Trinidad Carnival, Ultimate Crop Over and Ultimate St. Lucia Carnival to share these experiences with hundreds of clients around the world. Visit our website by clicking here or click the links below for more!
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