St Vincent Vincy Mas 2027 runs 25 June to 6 July in Kingstown, peaking with J'ouvert & Tee-Shirt Mas on Monday 5 July and Mardi Gras road march on Tuesday 6 July. Expect ragga soca, wicked stage shows, boat rides and one of the most underrated carnivals in the Caribbean. Stay in Arnos Vale, Kingstown or Villa to be close to fetes and the carnival route.
What to Expect
Vincy Mas is one of the purest carnivals in the Caribbean — big enough to feel like a real season, small enough that you are never just a face in the crowd. It runs twelve days from the last Friday in June, and 2027 is the big one: fifty years since St Vincent moved its carnival out of the pre-Lenten calendar into the June–July season in 1977. J'ouvert and Mardi Gras close the whole thing out back to back.
2027 marks 50 years since Vincy Mas moved from the pre-Lent calendar to June–July, in 1977
Twelve days, from the last Friday in June to the second Tuesday in July
J'ouvert and Mardi Gras are the final two days — paint and oil before dawn, then the bands take Kingstown
Mardi Gras carries the Band of the Year competition before the closing parade
Bequia, Mustique and the rest of the Grenadines are a short ferry away for a post-carnival wind-down
Places to Stay
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Ride-Hailing Apps
inDrive
Available in St Vincent. Good for getting around Kingstown during Vincy Mas.
Mas Bands
Fetes & Events
Things To Do
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Getting There
Argyle International Airport
Getting Around
Minibuses (locally just 'vans') run from the terminal in Kingstown, leave when full, and are the cheapest way around the main island.
They are loud, fast and fun; flag them from the roadside and pay the conductor.
Driving is on the left and a temporary Vincentian licence is required.
For the Grenadines you want the ferry rather than a car — services run from Kingstown to Bequia frequently and take about an hour.
Taxis are unmetered; agree the fare, especially for airport runs from Argyle.
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
Vincy Mas 2027 runs for twelve days from the last Friday in June, finishing with J'ouvert and Mardi Gras in the second week of July. Expect it to be busier than usual — it is the 50th anniversary of the move to a summer carnival, and the tourism board has been promoting it hard to the diaspora since mid-2026. There are no direct UK flights to Argyle International (SVD), so connect through Barbados (BGI) and book the whole routing together. Kingstown's hotel stock is small and fills for carnival week, so accommodation is what to lock in first — by March, earlier for an anniversary year. Mas band registration usually opens in spring, and costumes cost well under Trinidad prices. Add the Grenadines after carnival rather than before.
Plan This Carnival
🎭 25 Jun – 6 Jul 2027 (Vincy Mas — J'ouvert: 5 Jul)
MUAs & Photographers for Carnival
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