Vincy Mas in 2024

When is Vincy Mas?

Vincy Mas is the biggest festival in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Promoted as “The Hottest Carnival in the Caribbean”, the carnival starts in the middle of June, culminating in a Monday and Tuesday at the start of July.

Usually, this takes place on the first Monday and following Tuesday in July, but can be switched to the second Monday and following Tuesday in some years.

History of Vincy Mas

Attracting thousands of tourists, Vincy Mas is a colourful and vibrant celebration of music, dance and Vincentian heritage. Towns come alive with street parties, calypso and steel pan performances, costume parades and much more.

Prior to 1977, it was celebrated on the days before the start of Lent as is common for many of the Carnivals that take place in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Like those carnivals, Vincy Mas developed its identity in the eighteenth century by combining elements from the European carnival traditions with customs from African religions brought by freed slaves.

The last two days of Vincy Mas are J'Ouvert and Mardi Gras.

J’Ouvert

J’Ouvert is a contraction of the French term Jour Overt meaning early morning. A fete runs from midnight to dawn. A large band then takes to the streets of Kingstown waking the residents to enjoy the penultimate day of the carnival.

Mardi Gras

Originally Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) was the day before Lent and the last chance to feast and make merry before giving up some food for the forty days before Easter. In Vincy Mas, a band of the year competition is followed by a final parade of the mass bands to signal the end of the festival.