{"id":17687,"date":"2020-12-16T17:14:47","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T17:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnival.com\/awaywego\/?p=17687"},"modified":"2020-12-16T23:26:04","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T23:26:04","slug":"cant-miss-caribbean-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnival.com\/awaywego\/travel\/cant-miss-caribbean-celebrations","title":{"rendered":"Can\u2019t-Miss Caribbean Celebrations"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the popular \u201cCarnival\u201d to a celebration of all things pirate, the Caribbean can wow you with festivities all year round. <\/b><\/p>\n

Even though this year is different, we\u2019re all looking forward to a little celebrating as the holidays approach. While things will certainly be quieter this time, there\u2019s plenty of celebrations that will keep on rolling for years to come, and the Carribean knows how to take festivities to a whole new level!<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at five lively celebrations where the parties don\u2019t stop. Add them to your travel bucket list!\u00a0 <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Carnival, Trinidad, St. Lucia, Grenada<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a good reason we started with Carnival as one of the most important celebrations. It\u2019s billed as the largest street party on earth! Carnival originated in<\/span> Trinidad & Tobago<\/span><\/a> and is known for extravagant parades and dancers in brightly colored costumes, feathers, headdresses, and sequins. Calypso music comes from Trinidad, and you can hear it blaring all throughout the parties, or \u201cfetes\u201d, along with its faster, upbeat offshoot, soca. Carnival is officially a two-day festival, starting with a \u201cJ\u2019Ouvert\u201d parade at 4 A.M., but Trinidadians begin prepping for Carnival months in advance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carnival is also celebrated in St. Lucia<\/a>, with steel pan competitions and an international soca music battle of bands. A winner is crowned as \u201cmonarch\u201d for both the \u201cpower\u201d and \u201cgroovy\u201d styles.<\/p>\n

And in<\/span> Grenada<\/span><\/a>, famous for its spices, Carnival is referred to as \u201cSpicemas\u201d. The celebration features masked stilt walkers with ties to African folklore that dance throughout the parades.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

When it happens: Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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There\u2019s plenty of riches to discover during Pirates Week.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pirates Week, Cayman Islands<\/b><\/p>\n

Did you know the notorious pirate Blackbeard sailed throughout the waters of the Cayman Islands? It\u2019s even rumored that some of his treasure is still hidden on Cayman Brac. While many Caribbean islands have pirate history, none celebrate it quite like the Cayman Islands. This week-long fest has run for more than 40 years and hops from Little Cayman to<\/span> Grand Cayman<\/span><\/a> and is packed with pirate-themed parties\u2014on land and at sea\u2014treasure hunts, live music and DJs, and even flotillas and fireworks. Yarrr gonna love it!<\/span><\/p>\n

When it happens: October and November, depending on the island
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Brightly colored feathers are everywhere at the celebration!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Junkanoo, The Bahamas<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to find a livelier street parade than Junkanoo. While the exact origins are unknown, many believe it\u2019s named for \u201cJohn Canoe\u201d a West African tribal chief. However it started, it\u2019s celebrated today throughout the Bahamas with the largest parade in the capital,<\/span> Nassau<\/span><\/a>. Junkanoo features dance troupes\u2014of up to 1,000\u2014and colorful costumes like Carnival, but also intricate masks. It even has its own music genre with horns, cowbells and whistles, and drums playing traditional African rhythms. There\u2019s often prize money for best costume, dancing, and music group. And the competition is fierce!<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

When it happens: Boxing Day, December 26<\/span><\/i>th<\/span><\/i> and New Year\u2019s Day
\n<\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"
San Juan\u2019s colorful streets will swell with partygoers during the celebrations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saint Sebastian Street Festival, Puerto Rico<\/b><\/p>\n

This street fest takes place in the historic Old<\/span> San Juan<\/span><\/a> and was originally created by a priest to celebrate the saint and raise money for his church. Today, it has turned into a much larger fiesta boasting streets lined with artisans selling their wares, lively salsa and bomba music, and choreographed dancing. A unique sight: revelers leading the procession wear larger-than-life paper mache heads, called \u201ccabezudos\u201d, that represent characters from Puerto Rican history and folklore.\u00a0 <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nWhen it happens: January 20<\/span><\/i>th<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Crop Over, Barbados<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

There are countless reasons for people to celebrate, but completing the hard work of a harvest is a common one worldwide. In<\/span> Barbados<\/span><\/a>, Crop Over celebrates the end of the sugar cane harvest. It dates back to the 1600s and rolls on for two whole months!<\/span>
\n<\/span>Featuring sequined costumes, street dancing, and parades, you can hear calypso music coming from tents everywhere as part of the musical competition. Celebrities are even known to join the fun, sporting giant ruffled feathers for the final, blowout parade, called \u201cKadooment day\u201d.
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>When it happens: From June 1<\/span><\/i>st<\/span><\/i> to the first Monday in August<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From the popular \u201cCarnival\u201d to a celebration of all things pirate, the Caribbean can wow you with festivities all year … read more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":17689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-caribbean","category-travel"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCan\u2019t-Miss Caribbean Celebrations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From the popular \u201cCarnival\u201d to a celebration of all things pirate, the Caribbean can wow you with festivities all year round!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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