Sugar Mas 55, the St Kitts and Nevis National Carnival, runs from Friday 11 December 2026 to Saturday 2 January 2027.
Three days matter if you are driving. J’ouvert takes over Basseterre on the morning of Saturday 26 December, the Grand Parade fills downtown on New Year’s Day, and Last Lap brings the bands back out on Saturday 2 January.
Times and routes for 2026 are not out yet. Until they are, last season’s are the best guide.
The Sugar Mas 55 Calendar
Dates are from the official poster.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Fri 20 to Sat 21 Nov 2026 | Senior Calypso eliminations |
| Fri 27 Nov | Soca Monarch eliminations |
| Mon 7 to Thu 10 Dec | In the Spirit of Christmas |
| Fri 11 Dec | Opening of Carnival: Midnight Escape |
| Sat 12 Dec | Senior Calypso semi-finals |
| Sun 13 Dec | Junior Calypso finals |
| Tue 15 Dec | Republic Bank Miss Teen SKN |
| Thu 17 Dec | Folk Galore |
| Fri 18 Dec | Soca Monarch finals |
| Tue 22 Dec | Miss SKN Pageant |
| Sat 26 Dec | J’ouvert |
| Sun 27 Dec | Panorama (steel pan) |
| Tue 29 Dec | Senior Calypso finals |
| Wed 30 Dec | Junior Carnival |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | Grand Parade |
| Sat 2 Jan 2027 | Last Lap |
Last season the Soca Monarch finals, the Miss SKN Queen Pageant, Panorama and the Senior Calypso final were all at Warner Park Cricket Stadium from 8pm.
Nothing is on the calendar for Christmas Day. In St Kitts that day? See what is open on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Carnival dates are among the busiest of the year. Book early.
Pick up your car at Port Zante or RLB Airport from US$65 a day.
J’ouvert, Saturday 26 December
J’ouvert is the early morning street party, with crowds dancing behind live bands and DJs. This year it falls on Boxing Day, a public holiday.
Last season it ran from 5am to midday, with one side setting off from Newtown Bay Road and the other from Greenlands and Cayon Street. Our Basseterre office is in Greenlands.
It gets packed. In January 2024 the carnival committee chair put the J’ouvert crowd at about 15,000 people downtown, and the culture minister called last season’s much bigger than the year before.
In 2023, Bay Road closed from the Pelican Mall to the bottom of College Street Ghaut for J’ouvert. Tour buses heading west left Port Zante by its east roundabout and took the bypass road, and normal traffic was expected back by midday.
Grand Parade, Friday 1 January 2027
The Grand Parade brings the costumed bands through Basseterre on New Year’s Day, also a public holiday.
Last season it ran from about 11am to 8pm, and CreaTV’s livestream had cameras along the route at Greenlands, Pond Road, Bay Road, the Circus, Fort Street, Church Street and West Independence Square Street.
It runs late. In 2024 the last troupe did not leave Pond Road until about 6:30pm.
On Grand Parade day in 2024, taxis and tour buses had to enter Port Zante by its western entrance, at the roundabout opposite Rams Supermarket, between 1pm and 5pm. Returning a car to Port Zante that afternoon? Give yourself extra time.
Last Lap, Saturday 2 January 2027
Last Lap closes the season. It is a public holiday too.
Last season it ran from about 3pm to 10pm downtown, and in 2023 its route took in Cayon Street, Pond Road, Sandown Road, Bay Road, Fort Street and West Square Street.
Fetes and Private Events
The private events below follow the St Kitts and Nevis National Carnival 2026 to 2027 poster updated on 14 September 2026. November and December dates are in 2026; January dates are in 2027. Contact the organisers for tickets, times and venue confirmation. Venue notes marked “Last season” are historical and are not confirmed locations for this season.
| Date | Event (organiser) | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 14 Nov 2026 | Carnival Jump Start (The Venue) | Not specified on poster |
| Sun 22 Nov | Transcendent 4 Fashion Show (SKN Unchained) | Not specified on poster |
| Tue 24 Nov | Carnival Jump Start (The Venue) | Not specified on poster |
| Sat 28 Nov | Tradition Trails Turns Two (Valon’s Masquerades Cultural Canvas) | Not specified on poster |
| Tue 1 Dec | Night Market (Marriott Resort) | Not specified on poster |
| Sat 5 Dec | Ties & Tiaras Family Gala (Events R Us) | Not specified on poster |
| Sat 12 Dec | Junior J’ouvert | Not specified on poster |
| Sat 12 Dec | Rhum & Soca (Global Entry) | Not specified on poster |
| Sat 12 Dec | Carnival Jump Start (The Venue) | Not specified on poster |
| Sun 13 Dec | La Vie Doux Brunch (J’Vizionz Productions and Selecta Leng Ent) | Not specified on poster |
| Thu 17 Dec | Carnival Jump Start (The Venue) | Not specified on poster |
| Fri 18 Dec | Taste of St. Kitts (Marriott Resort) | Not specified on poster |
| Sat 19 Dec | Cooler Fete (CaneJuice) | Last season: Frigate Bay Lawn |
| Sun 20 Dec | Boozy Brunch (Carambola Beach Club) | Last season: Carambola Beach Club |
| Sun 20 Dec | Movado Modeling Agency 26th Anniversary (Movado Modeling Agency) | Not specified on poster |
| Mon 21 Dec | Glow Parade (ASAP) | Last season: Bary’s Bar and Grill, Bird Rock |
| Wed 23 Dec | Rumored (Fete State KN) | Last season: Conaree Lawn |
| Wed 23 Dec | Gifted for a Purpose (WD 40 Production) | Not specified on poster |
| Thu 24 Dec | Aktivate Boat Ride (Bacchanal Chasers) | Last season: aboard the Prince Devonte J |
| Thu 24 Dec | Insane (Iconic) | Not specified on poster |
| Thu 24 Dec | Jamaican Grill / Jerk Festival (Coolrunnings Bar & Grill) | Not specified on poster |
| Sun 27 Dec | Sundaze Premium All Inclusive Breakfast Fete (Inception Fete/Breaking Dawn) | National Heroes Park |
| Sun 27 Dec | Anchored (Tidal Events) | Last season: aboard the Prince Devonte J from Port Zante Marina |
| Sun 27 Dec | BYOB Catamaran Cruise (Limerz x TNO Sound) | Not specified on poster |
| Mon 28 Dec | Bacchanal Monday T-Shirt Mas (ABC Promo & Friends) | Study IT Island, Kim Collins Highway |
| Tue 29 Dec | Sunset (DJ Tero Ent) | Conaree Lawn |
| Wed 30 Dec | Miss Caribbean Talented Teen Pageant (Haynes Smith) | Last season: St Kitts Marriott Resort |
| Wed 30 Dec | Opulence (Study It Ent) | Last season: Carambola Beach Club |
| Thu 31 Dec | Legendary NYE Party (Palm’s Court) | Last season: Palms Court Gardens, Fortlands |
| Thu 31 Dec | IBIZA (Fete State KN) | Not specified on poster |
| Fri 1 and Sat 2 Jan 2027 | Glam Lounge (Ready, Fete, Go) | Last season: CUNA |
| Sun 3 Jan | Departure: The Culinary Escape Brunch (Yanis One Pot and TNO Sound) | Not specified on poster |
| Sun 3 Jan | Whine & Chill (Ultra Carnival) | Last season: Carambola Beach Club |
| Sun 3 Jan | Soca Zone Carnival Cool Down (Sexy Lise Promotion – Fun Starts Here Ent & Soca Zone) | Not specified on poster |
| Sun 3 Jan | Allure (Luxe Carnival) | Last season: Sugar Apple, Fortlands |
Drinking at a fete? Take a taxi home. A police traffic sergeant warned in December 2024 that you can be charged just for being in charge of a car while drunk.
Getting Around by Car During Sugar Mas
Streets close to cars while the bands pass. In 2023 the Licensing Authority banned parking on the Grand Parade and Last Lap routes from midday to 7pm and said cars left there would be towed.
The same streets come up year after year: Cayon Street, Church Street, College Street, Bay Road, Fort Street, West Square Street, West Independence Square Street, Liverpool Row and Paul Southwell Drive. Liverpool Row is kept for taxi drop-off and pickup through the season, so parking there is out even on quiet days.
At Warner Park, where Carnival Village sits, the police notice allows parking on Victoria Road between Seaton Street and Youth and Community, bans parking on the western side of East Park Range, and reserves Losack Road for VIP parking. Taxi drop-off is by Amory Bakery.
The police publish their notices on police.kn, usually in the first three weeks of December, with parade-day detail a day or so ahead.
Staying downtown? Move your car away from the parade streets the night before J’ouvert, the Grand Parade and Last Lap.
Our Basseterre office in Greenlands opens as normal on 26 December and 1 January, but because of the parades we suggest picking up or returning your car at Port Zante or RLB International Airport on those two days.
Delivery within about 16km is free and runs through the holidays, but not into downtown Basseterre while a carnival parade is on.
Other road events count too. Last season Bacchanal Monday T-Shirt Mas was listed for 3pm at the airport roundabout, and this year it falls on Monday 28 December. Allow extra time for an airport return that afternoon.
Junior Carnival ran through downtown from 1pm to 5pm last season, and this year it is on Wednesday 30 December. Opening night falls on Friday 11 December, and in 2024 police closed Bay Road between College Street and Adlam Street for it.
Cruise Ships on Carnival Days
Ships keep calling through carnival. As of 16 September 2026, the port authority lists five ships on Christmas Day, five on J’ouvert day, five on Grand Parade day and four on Last Lap day, more than on the same days last season.
Not all of them dock at Port Zante. The piers there take three ships on Christmas Day and four on each of the other days, and the rest are listed at Carambola on South Friars Bay or at anchor.
Our cruise season guide covers the whole season.
Practical Tips for Driving This Season
Carnival dates are among the busiest of the year. Book early. The booking form turns away dates that are already taken.
Need more than one car? Message us on WhatsApp.
Fill up the day before J’ouvert, the Grand Parade and Last Lap.
Your temporary driving permit costs US$24 (EC$62.50). We add it when you book, and it is valid on St Kitts and Nevis. Our permit guide has the details.
Out late? Pickup or return outside 7am to 6pm costs US$25 extra.
For an accident, call the police on 911. For a breakdown, call us on 869-763-4441 between 7am and 6pm. We have no 24-hour support.
New to driving here? Start with our driving rules and safety guide.
Checked 16 September 2026. Last season the carnival committee posted times and venues on weekly “Happening This Week” posters in December, so look out for this year’s before your trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Sugar Mas 55?
Friday 11 December 2026 to Saturday 2 January 2027.
When is J’ouvert in 2026?
Saturday 26 December, Boxing Day. Last season it ran from 5am to midday. The 2026 time is not out yet.
When is the Grand Parade?
Friday 1 January 2027, New Year’s Day. Last season it ran from about 11am to 8pm in downtown Basseterre.
Will J’ouvert or the Grand Parade affect my car rental pickup?
It can. Our Greenlands office opens as normal, but on 26 December and 1 January we suggest Port Zante or RLB International Airport. Delivery does not go into downtown Basseterre while a parade is on.
Can I drive during J’ouvert or the Grand Parade?
Yes, but not along the streets the bands are using. Park clear of the route and walk.
Are you open over Christmas and New Year?
Yes. We open 7am to 6pm every day, including 25 December, 26 December and 1 January.
Book Your Car Rental
Our automatic cars rent from US$65 a day, with a US$200 deposit by cash, card or PayPal. Pick up at Port Zante, RLB International Airport or our Basseterre office in Greenlands, 7am to 6pm every day, and book at least 2 hours ahead. Book your car rental.
