Carnival: The Pulse of the Island

The St. Maarten Carnival is the highlight of the Island calendar and one of the longest in the Caribbean. Staged in April on the Dutch side, the festivities continue for 12 days with a non-stop line-up of parades, "jump-ups", pageants and concerts. Spicy island cuisine like salt fish, conch soup and Johnny Cakes are dished up inside the "Carnival Village," which is surrounded by a gigantic stage where local and international musicians perform nightly.

The much celebrated J'ouvert or jump-up features local and international bands and thousands of revelers lining the streets in anticipation of the music, who then follow the bands until they arrive at Carnival village hours later. More parades are held the next morning, and the grandest of all takes place on the Queen's Birthday. Crowds pack the streets of Philipsburg vying for a spot to see the musicians, the outrageous costumes and the colorful floats as they pass by in their festive splendor. The Last Lap, the grand finale of the Carnival, includes a symbolic burning of King Momo, a straw figure who embodies the spirit of carnival. Island legend says that by burning the King, the sins of the village and all its bad luck are purged, and the island is filled with good luck for the future.

The French Carnival, although not as large as the party on the Dutch side, is held with equal gusto. Staged during the five days before Ash Wednesday (usually in February), the festivities feature the crowning of a Carnival Queen, colorful parades, non-stop dancing, music and more hot and spicy island food.

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