When is Aruba Carnival 2024?
Aruba Carnival always begins on the 1st January and continues right up until the start of Lent. The few days prior to Lent is when the main carnival celebrations occur. The Grand Parade always takes place on Shrove Sunday, which is the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. In 2024, the Aruba Carnival will take place from January 1 until February 14, 2024.
What is carnival in Aruba?
Carnival in Aruba is one big tropical Caribbean party. Carnival in Aruba is a month-long pre-Lenten celebration that is the most anticipated event of the year. Carnival in Aruba is all about tradition; it is about the community coming together and celebrating life. Everyone celebrates carnival, people of all ages coming together to have fun and party.
Where is Aruba located?
Aruba is located in the Southern Caribbean Sea. It is only a few kilometres off the coast of Venezuela. It belongs to the Lesser Antilles which are a group of islands that extend in an arc from Puerto Rico to South America.
What is carnival?
Unless you experience the excitement of carnival in Aruba you haven’t lived! Carnival spirit takes over the whole island, spirit that rivals that passion only seen in a world cup!
How do they celebrate carnival in Aruba?
Aruba has been named the happiest island in the world and if you come during carnival you’ll easily understand why. The entire island is filled with catchy music, colorful costumes, lively street parties, parades and plenty of merry making. Aruba’s Carnival is one that continually stands out in the Caribbean.
Aruba’s Carnival is a unique one of a kind experience. It is a vibrant and colorful party where you’re not just a spectator but also part of the celebrations. In the lead up to the Grand Parade there are weeks of musical competitions and Carnival Queen Contests.
The Aruba carnival season is weeks of celebration with pageants, parades, coronations, street parties which are called jump ups, live music, music competitions, J’ouvert, children’s carnival and parties which all culminate in the Grand Parade.
For the entire month of January and February, the entire island ofArubalives and breathescarnival!
Aruba Carnival 2023 Event Schedule
The Most Popular Aruba Carnival Events
- FakkelOptocht or the Torch Parade
- Grand Lighting Parade
- Oranjestad
- Grand Parade San Nicolas
- Carnival Children’s Parade Noord
- Pajama Party – J’ouvert Morning
- Carnival Queen & Mrs. Carnival Elections
- Calypso and Soca Monarch
- Calypso and Road March Contest
- Grand Tumba Contest
- Grand Carnival Parade
- Burning of King Momo
Apart from the officialAruba Carnivalschedule there are lots of unofficialcarnivalevents. Nightclubs, resorts and bars all over the island featurecarnival dance groupsand bands performances. There are also lots ofcostume partiesto get you ready for the main celebrations.
What is the history of carnival in Aruba?
The origins of carnival in Aruba started in 1954 and was originally just a small series of street festivals. Aruba’s oldest social club the Tivoli Club was the first to have pre-Lenten celebrations which they first threw back in 1944 to commemorate the allied victory of WW2. Shortly after several steel and brass bands began to feature in small parades.
Prior to 1900 many Dutch Colonists held pre-Lenten celebrations privately in their homes. But it wasn’t really something that kicked off until many Trinidadian immigrants came to Aruba in the 1940s to work in Aruba’s oil refinery.
By 1955 the first Carnival Queen had been elected and by 1957 the first Grand Parade was organized. The carnival continued to grow in popularity over the decades and more official events were added to it like the Lighting Parade in 1981.
Steel bands were introduced to Aruba by Trinidadian immigrants who worked in the oil refinery. Unhappy with the lack of entertainment on the island they began to experiment with this music and created the first ever steel band called the Aruba All Star Boys. They started to add in elements of samba, rumba and more musical styles.
As their popularity grew more and more musicians joined in and eventually the several steel bands had over forty musicians. This led to the first ever steel band competition, which was held in 1964.
Aruba Carnival Music
It wouldn’t be Carnival in Aruba if there was no music! All year long the locals wait with anticipation for carnival. For when the catchy calypso and soca tunes dominate the island. Music is a key part of carnival in Aruba! At Aruba Carnival you can find Calypso music, Antillean Tumba music, steel bands, reggae, soca, Latin salsa and even a little Dutch oom-pah-pa!
Tumba is a style that is uniquely Aruban! It was brought by the African Slaves and combined with the Dutch Antillean music to create a unique sound that is now a key part of Aruba’s cultural identity. Tumba is written and performed during carnival to serve the same function as calypso.
There are many brass bands that feature in Aruba Carnival that play a unique rhythm called Aruban Asambeho, which combines salsa, marching bands and calypso music. It creates a catchy rhythmic beat that is perfect for dancing in the Aruban Carnival parades.
While steel bands were originally an important part of Aruba carnival, today they are almost a lost art. Only one or two steel bands now exist.
Roach March Contest & Calypso & Soca Monarchy
There are several music concerts held during Aruba Carnival. There is a Tumba music contest as well as the most popular music contest, the Calypso and Soca Monarchy. This sees several late nights of competitions in the lead up to carnival.
The most important competition is the Road March Contest. This is where they select original music for the carnival road march theme. The lead singer of the band becomes the island reigning Carnival King.
Where to stay in Aruba for Carnival?
Finding accommodation in Aruba is not going to be a problem. The majority of the accommodation is located on a 10-mile stretch of beach located between Palm beach and the capital city of Oranjestad. If you want to stay close to the parade in Oranjestad there is one touristy hotel which is good – The Renaissance Aruba as well as Ocean Suites.
Palm Beach is home to some of the island’s most luxurious resorts including the Marriot, Hilton and Hyatt Regency. These five star hotels may set you back $1000US a night. Of course, there are many cheaper options and hotels for all budgets.
​Check out some great accommodation deals for hotels in Palm Beach here.
Check out Booking.com for some accommodation deals in Oranjestad.
Book your Hotel and Flight for the Aruba Carnival
Aruba Street Parties – Jump Offs
At Aruba Carnival the street parties are called Jump Offs. They are spectacular parades and creative contests held in various districts throughout the month. They often feature brass or steel bands and there is always a lot of consumption of rum. They are lots of fun and open for anyone who wants to join in.
Fakkel Optocht – Aruba’s Lighting Parade
Aruba’s Lighting Paradewhich is held inOranjestad is one of the highlights of Aruba Carnival. The official opening ofCarnivalis ignited by aTorch Parade, which is similar to the Olympic torch. It is a twinkling night-time extravaganza, the darkness of night is the perfect backdrop for the thousands of sparkling lights in the parade
The Lighting Paradeis a uniqueparadewhere people’s costumes and the floats aredecorated in gorgeous lights. For miles and miles all you can see is sparkling lights up and down theparade route. Thecostumesare extravagant and stunning! Tiny lights are sewn into the costumes to create a magical effect and it’s a tribute to how splendid Aruba Carnivalis.
The beauty of the Lightning Parade is that anyone is able to join in and participate by joining up with a carnival group. Each carnival group chooses their own Fakkel theme that is different to the themes in other parades. There are no limits on where the costume can go.
The best place to watch the Lightening Parade is in front of Café Chaos on L.G. Smith Boulevard. That way you have the convenience of the bathrooms and bar, there is also a great ambience. Other good places to see the parade is the Talk of the Town area of L.G. Smith Blvd or along the Vondellaan. Oranjestad pretty much shuts down for the parade, so get downtown early to find a great parking space.
Pajama Party – J’ouvert Morning
The pajama party also known as J’ouvert morning, kicks off the last week of Aruban Carnival Celebrations! This is a thrilling street party that begins after midnight at 3am and lasts until dawn. It takes place on the night prior to Aruba’s Grand Lightening Parade. The streets of San Nicolas fill up with the island’s most popular musicians and huge crowds of partygoers dance the night away.
It is an incredible sight to see and definitely worth waking up at 3am for! You will join several thousands other revelers who all have a rum or beer in their hand, shuffle behind the brass bands, drums and blaring speakers. The partygoers then head back home to try and get a few good hours of sleep before they hit the streets again for the Grand Lightening Parade.
Pajama Party – Jouvert Morning Parade Route
Grand Carnival Parade in San Nicolas
The Grand Parades are the last hurrah of Aruban Carnival season. The first is the San Nicolas Grand Carnival Parade and the second is Oranjestad Grand Carnival Parade. The Grand Carnival Parade is truly a joy to experience and see. We definitely recommend bringing some folded chairs and enjoy the live entertainment as thousands colorful costumes.
San Nicolas Grand Carnival Parade Route
The Grand Carnival Parade in Oranjestad
The highlight of carnival is the Grand Parade which is held in Oranjestad on the Saturday prior to Ash Wednesday. The Grand Parade starts at midday and runs late into the evening. It is the longest parade with the biggest number of participants marching and the largest crowd of spectators.
The parade is a lively and colorful event with thousands of musicians and dancers. The costumes are colorful and covered in sequins and feathers. There are elaborately decorated floats and many live music groups full of drums and brass instruments pumping out the hip shaking tunes. The rum flows freely and everyone in the parade and crowd is having the time of their lives.
Oranjestad Grand Carnival Parade Route
Aruba Carnival for Kids
To ensure the tradition of carnival is kept alive for future generations even the kids have their own parades and activities to look forward to during Aruba Carnival. There are Children and Youth Queen Elections, the Children & Youth Calypso & Road march Contest in San Nicolas and in Noord there is the Children’s Parade
Coronation and Contests
In addition to all the carnival parades, the Aruban Carnival hosts a range of exciting elections & contests. First there is the Carnival Queen Election and Coronation in which they choose that year’s Carnival Queen. The Carnival Queen is a central figure in carnival. She must lead all the street parades and promote carnival. They also elect a Youth Carnival Queen.
The Prince and Pancho are two other central figures in Aruba’s carnival tradition. The Prince’s main role is to accompany the Queen wherever she appears. Pancho is the personal assistant of the Prince and he is essentially a jester. He must accompany the Prince and tell jokes. This duo is chosen for their comedy, personality and audience popularity.
The midnight burning of King Momo
Who is King Momo? If you are not from Latin America then maybe you haven’t heard who King Momo is. Momus is an entity from Greek Mythology who is notorious for his mischievous behavior, criticism and mockery. King Momo represents the spirit of carnival! He symbolizes exaggeration, fun, freedom and satire – all the things that carnival embodies.
Just like Brazil, Aruba also has King Momo in Aruba Carnival. However, King Momo is a giant puppet who after the Grand Parade is thrown into a bonfire and burnt at midnight. This officially signals the end of Aruba Carnival for another year and the transition into Lent. Don’t worry though King Momo is resurrected for next year’s carnival.
How to get to Aruba?
There are over 150 flights to Aruba every week. These flights are mainly from the USA, Canada, The Netherlands, England as well as a few South American countries and other Caribbean islands. The flight from Miami is about 3 hours and from Amsterdam it is about 10.5 hours. There are also numerous cruise ships that arrive weekly on the island.
How to get around Aruba?
Aruba actually has a pretty great bus system that connects all the main beaches of the island. There is no Uber but there are plenty of government regulated taxis so its very easy to flag one down. If you like walking, it is possible to walk around, but of course it is hot so wear adequate sun protection.
What to do and see in Aruba?
This tiny little Caribbean Island packs a lot of fun and of course happiness into its 70 square miles. It has year-round perfect weather, and endless streets of beautiful beaches and crystal-clear warm water. You can scuba dive, snorkel explore shipwrecks. There is also an excellent nightlife, shopping, shows and fun things to do. Aruba also has a sprawling desert you can explore by Jeep.
How safe is Aruba?
For the most part, Aruba is considered to be very safe. In fact it’s actually considered one of the safest islands of all the Caribbean islands!
