Carnival Tuesday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Carnival Tuesday is a public holiday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, paired with Carnival Monday in July. It is part of Vincy Mas, a festival shaped by the country’s Carnival history, music and masquerade traditions.[1][2][3]
A pre-Lenten celebration moved to summer
The Ministry of Tourism’s history of Carnival describes an earlier form of the celebration held on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It was a day of festivity before Lent, a period when many people fasted and prayed. The same account says calypso developed as part of Carnival during the early twentieth century.[2]
Carnival later grew beyond those pre-Lenten days. The Ministry’s account describes a shift to a summer festival era from 1977 to 2000, with Vincy Mas held in June and July and an official ten-day celebration period. The Government’s festival calendar lists Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday as Vincy Mas public holidays in July.[2][4]
Music, masquerade and local identity
Carnival Tuesday belongs to a wider celebration of Vincentian culture. The Government describes Carnival as a festival of music and masquerade, with steel pan orchestras, calypso, soca, and masqueraders parading in the streets. It also names Carnival competitions and titles, including Soca Monarch, Calypso Monarch, and the King and Queen of the Mas Bands.[3]
The traditions have changed over time. The Ministry’s history notes that costumes in earlier periods included Boosie Back and Monkey band characters, while later decades brought historical and literary themes, steel band, Panorama, and expanded shows. Today’s Vincy Mas reflects that continuing evolution rather than a single fixed form of celebration.[2][3]
Public holiday and practical planning
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lists Carnival Tuesday as a public holiday, alongside Carnival Monday. The date changes from year to year; the Government’s holiday and festival calendars place it in July.[1][4]
Public offices close for the holiday. The Statistical Office has published a Carnival Tuesday notice stating that it is closed for the national holiday, and the Department of Labour says its office is closed on public holidays.[5][6] Check opening hours with banks, shops, transport providers or private employers before you go.
Frequently asked questions
Is Carnival Tuesday a public holiday?
When does Carnival Tuesday take place?
Sources and references
Sources used for Carnival Tuesday in St. Vincent & Grenadines:
- Public Holidays- Office of the Prime Minister, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Carnival History- Ministry of Tourism, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Carnival- Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Festivals of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines- Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Carnival Tuesday- Statistical Office, Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Contact- Department of Labour, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines