Martinique’s Carnival 2025: One Of The Caribbean’s Biggest Festivals

Martinique, the beautiful French-Caribbean Island often called “The Isle of Flowers” is gearing up for its most-anticipated celebration of the year: Carnival. From March 2 to March 5, 2025, the streets of capital city Fort-de-France will be electrified with kaleidoscopic costumes, music and an infectious energy that’s simply impossible to resist. Why not head to the island to get in on the fun with locals and fellow travelers?

Arrive early if you can. While the official Carnival period only lasts a few days, Martinique puts as much care and attention into its pre-Carnival events — after all, it’s important to get “warmed up” for the festivities. During February, the island has a packed schedule of parades and other events. Enthusiastic foot bands go from neighborhood to neighborhood playing songs accompanied by drums, ti-bwa, cha-chas and a variety of additional traditional instruments.

Martinique’s Carnival goes back to the mid-18th century, when it was a way to preserve the collective memory of the slave period. While it’s easy to get carried away by the revelry, it’s vital to have an understanding of the history of Carnival and its importance to the people of Martinique.

The Five Days of Carnival

The Carnival features five days of festivities and each day offers its very own unique, not-to-be-missed attraction (though the great food, spirited music, friendly locals and entertainment is available throughout the event).

Samedi Gras (Shrove Saturday): The first unofficial day of Carnival features the much-anticipated Carnival Queens. Martinique women adorned in amazing outfits come into Fort-de-France from villages around the island to show off their stunning ensembles for the crowds. A Carnival Queen, Queen Mother and Junior Carnival Queen are then elected to lead the festivities.

Dimanche Gras (Shrove Sunday): The first official day of the festival, Shrove Sunday is the main parade day and it’s also when Vaval, the Carnival King arrives on the scene. Vaval is a satirical puppet whose job it is to make fun of a notable person or event from the previous year. He leads the procession joined by the Carnival Queens, musicians and some of the island’s historic and folkloric characters. And don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for the “bradjaks” — old vehicles painted in outlandish colors and slogans.

Lundi Gras (Shrove Monday): Shrove Monday is when the party really gets going. Throughout the day, boisterous parades and parties spontaneously erupt, including the Parade du Sud. Among residents, Shrove Monday is also known as Burlesque Wedding Day and is a time when locals poke fun at marriage traditions by reversing conventional gender roles and performing fake weddings.

Mardi Gras (Tuesday): The most exuberant day of Carnival starts at 4 AM when revelers hit the streets to participate in the beloved Pajama Parade (a daily morning occurrence during Carnival). The infamous Red Devils then emerge in the afternoon and thread their way through the parades decked out in impressively petrifying costumes. The festivities continue well past midnight.

Ash Wednesday (Farewell to the King): Bedecked in mournful hues of black and white, the celebrants come together on the final day of Carnival to bid adieu to King Vaval in a faux-somber ceremony. The King is then set alight and, as he burns, he is serenaded by acolytes who plead with him to remain and yet who know in their hearts that death and rebirth are integral to the Carnival tradition. Crowds (sometimes as many as 30,000) observe the scattering of the King’s ashes — many from boats offshore — before joining for one last unforgettable evening of merrymaking.