Lucian Carnival derives from its African heritage, which is evident in the preponderance of music, dance, creativity, kaleidoscopic colour, and spectacle. The annual month-long festival is a heady time when the airwaves pulsate with Calypso, Soca and Steelpan music, unveiled in an atmosphere of competition; Much Mas Camp activity involving the cooperative effort of building costumes for competition night; community beauty pageants; a national beauty pageant; high voltage shows; Band fetes abounding, all culminating in a 2-day costumed Bands parade and road march tune competition. At the end of it all a number of Monarchs emerge – a National Carnival Queen, Calypso Monarch, Groovy Soca Monarch, Power Soca Monarch, Steelband Champions; Inter-commercial House Monarch, King of the Bands’ Queen of the Bands, Band of the Year – in carrying various categories. Click here for last year’s winners
Lucian Carnival culminates on the third Monday and Tuesday in July, and is Saint Lucia’s largest cultural festival, with an average of 5,000 costumed revellers, 30,000 spectators and an audience of over 60,000 television viewers.
Cultural Development Foundation provides institutional support to the various organizational players such as Carnival Bands Association, The Saint Lucia Steel-band Association, The Calypso Association, Various Calypso Tents and Pageant Coordinators.