When is Sint Maarten Carnival Day?
Sint Maarten Carnival is a national holiday on Queen Juliana's birthday, April 30th.
The carnival itself lasts for 17 days, but only the day of the Grand Carnival Parade, April 30th, is a public holiday. Islanders also enjoy a holiday for King's Birthday on April 27th, which can make for a four day weekend in some years.
About Sint Maarten Carnival Day
The island of St. Martin is split between French and Dutch control. The Carnival on the French side takes place at the traditional time of just before Lent.
Sint Maarten bills its Carnival as the biggest and best carnival in the North Eastern Caribbean. The carnival starts in mid-April and runs until early May.
The festivities started out as an initiative to celebrate the various holidays of the island. The first Carnival took place in 1969. It used to be held on November 11th, St. Maarten's Day, but it was moved to April in the 1970s, with Queen Juliana's birthday chosen as an appropriate date.
Like a lot of other Caribbean carnivals, it relied on local business support in the early days but has continued to grow over the years in popularity, scale and duration.
