Carnival in Aruba is the most anticipated event of the year. It is a whole month of celebrating with parades, parties, and live music. You haven’t lived until you have experienced the Aruba Carnival spirit!
Running now through February 22, locals and visitors alike will be taking part in the biggest party of the year, with festive “Ta Bidas,” jump-ups or street parties, spectacular parades and musical events that electrify the intimate, 70-square-mile destination.
Carnival in Aruba is all about tradition; it is about the community coming together and celebrating life for the past 69 years. Everyone celebrates carnival, people of all ages coming together to have fun and party.
There are a number of festivities to be enjoyed during the period with weeks of celebration with pageants, parades, coronations, street parties, live music, music competitions, children’s carnival just to name a few which all culminate in the grand parade.
On February 4, the Grand Tumba Contest begins. This music competition puts Aruba’s best local bands and singers to the test as they compete for the Tumba King or Queen with their original music using the rhythm of the ‘tambu’ or tambour.
The Children’s Grand Carnival Parade is the next big event on February 5. Hundreds of children strut down the streets of Oranjestad in colourful costumes, dancing to the rhythm of calypso music. The parade will begin at Avenida Milo Croes and continue through the streets and end at Wilhelminastraat at 6:00 p.m.
Up next is one of the island’s favourite parades Parada Di Luz. This parade features thousands of tiny lights sewn into costumes and floats, creating a stunning creative display that illuminates downtown Oranjestad.
For Aruba’s carnival finale – the Grand Carnival Parade will see patrons marching on the road in their feathered costumes while spectators party and watch in delight. This is Aruba’s largest and longest parade that will stroll through Oranjestad starting at 12:00 noon. The midnight burning of King Momo, a life-size effigy of the spirit of Aruba’s Carnival signals the end of the celebration.
Apart from the official Aruba Carnival schedule there are lots of unofficial carnival events. Nightclubs, resorts, and bars all over the island feature carnival dance groups and band performances. There are also lots of costume parties to get you ready for the main celebrations.
