St Maarten Carnival is Dutch and French Caribbean in one place with food stalls rum and weeks of events.
What to Expect
St Maarten Carnival is a seventeen-day build in Philipsburg anchored by the Festival Village — a nightly open-air venue where the shows, food stalls and liming all happen in one place. It climaxes with the Grand Carnival Parade, which is a full public holiday on the island. Because St Maarten is half Dutch and half French, the crowd and the music mix Caribbean, Dutch and French Antillean in a way nowhere else quite does.
2027 Grand Carnival Parade falls on Friday 30 April — a public holiday on the Dutch side
Seventeen days of carnival, running from mid-April into early May
The Festival Village in Philipsburg is the heart of it — nightly shows, food and liming
J'ouvert Jump-Up starts around 4am and ends with breakfast
French St Martin runs its own separate carnival in February — two carnivals, one island
Places to Stay
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Ride-Hailing Apps
Uber
Available on St Maarten/St Martin. Good for getting between the Dutch and French sides.
Mas Bands
Fetes & Events
Things To Do
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Getting There
Princess Juliana International Airport
Getting Around
Shared minibuses run the Philipsburg–Simpson Bay–Marigot corridor constantly, marked 'BUS' on the plate, and are very cheap.
Flag them anywhere along the route; pay the driver as you get off.
Driving is on the right on both halves of the island.
There is no border control between the Dutch and French sides — you simply drive across.
Traffic around Simpson Bay and the bridge openings can be severe; allow extra time, especially during carnival.
Typical Costs from the UK
Estimates only — prices vary by airline, timing and section choice. Use the budget calculator to build your own breakdown.
When to Book
St Maarten Carnival runs about seventeen days from mid-April, with the Grand Carnival Parade on Friday 30 April 2027. Princess Juliana International (SXM) has no direct UK service, but KLM from Amsterdam and Air France from Paris both fly in, which usually beats routing through the US on price and hassle alike. April is high season on the island, so book accommodation by January. Festival Village show tickets are generally sold close to the date and rarely sell out, so those can wait — flights and rooms cannot. If you are tempted by both of the island's carnivals, note they are nine months apart, not nine days.
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Social Corner
Watch it from the inside 🎥
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Plan This Carnival
🎭 Apr
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