Carnival 2027: The Committee Lays the Groundwork for a Full Month of Festivities

At its general meeting on October 28, the Saint-Barthélemy Carnival Committee officially launched the roadmap for the next edition, unveiling an ambitious program and major new features. Led by an executive board chaired by Jocari Bapin, the Committee intends to extend the festivities well beyond Mardi Gras (February 9) to encompass the entire month of January. This year’s event will revolve around the theme “Saint Barthélemy, Pearl of the Caribbean.”

A Carnival Village to liven up the weekends
Among the flagship projects is the creation of a Carnival Village, the exact location of which is still being finalized with the Collectivité. Designed to get the island in the festive spirit right from the start of the year, this village will be set up for five consecutive weekends, from January 8 to February 7. The concept relies on the involvement of local organizations: each weekend, a different carnival group will take charge of running the refreshment stand and organizing the musical program. The Committee, for its part, will handle the general setup, sound system, and technical coordination.

A Community-Wide Effort and a Revised Budget
To make the event as impactful as possible, the Committee hopes to involve all of the region’s economic and cultural stakeholders. On the logistics side, due to time constraints, the production of the traditional Vaval will be entrusted this year to a Guadeloupean association before it is shipped by sea. In light of the general rise in costs and quotes, the projected budget has been revised to approximately 76,000 euros, justifying a grant request of at least 50,000 euros.
According to the tentative schedule approved by the Committee, the festivities are set to kick off on Saturday, January 9, with the first drum parade, which is tentatively scheduled for every Saturday evening from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The heart of the celebrations will begin on Friday, February 5, with the school carnival, followed the next day by the childcare providers’ carnival, and then the Lighting Parade. The highlight of the festivities is scheduled for Tuesday, February 9, with the grand Mardi Gras parade, followed by an after-party on the Quai Général-de-Gaulle, before the burning of the Vaval, scheduled for Wednesday, February 10. Finally, the festivities are set to officially conclude on Thursday, March 4, with the Mid-Lent drum parade.