Updated: Mar 20, 2024
Dominica Carnival (Mas Domnik) is considered one of the most traditional carnivals in the Caribbean. No one can speak of Caribbean culture without speaking of Caribbean carnival: eclectic costumes, heightened displays of cultural expression, ancestral reveling in honor of freeform liberation are all elements that make Caribbean carnivals such a mesmerizing, one-time experience. Make it two, and go for seconds if the spirit catches you, and you will be glued to Caribbean carnival experiences for life! Though joined in collective history, every Caribbean island has its own flavors of carnival, and one Caribbean carnival is seldom similar to the others.
Over the past 10+ years of living in Dominica, I have grown to appreciate what the island has to offer in terms of landscape and culture. Dominica carnival, also known as “The Real Mas” or Mas Domnik brings a cultural and authentic layer to the Caribbean carnival scene, and every year it reminds us of how deepened this Caribbean carnival roots are in African ancestral culture and European colonial history. In this article, I will share with you key elements that make Dominica carnival unique, and give you my best recommendations of the top things to do during Dominica Carnival season, whether you are a first-timer, returning diasporan or born and raised, Dominican to-di-bone!
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Dominica Carnival: What makes Mas Domnik so special
Dominica Carnival is the authentic, unfiltered and unedited expression of Dominica’s culture. The history of Dominica as an island is interwoven into the different events that happen in Dominica during Carnival. Beyond the transient celebrations, when you visit Dominica as part of your Caribbean carnival experience, you leave transformed and even more in love with what makes the nature isle so special.
Here are the key elements that make Dominica Carnival so unique:
A traditional Jouvert:
Dominica Carnival “Jouvert”, derived from the french expression “Jour ouvert”, means “opening of the day”. Because it truly is that: the spirit of the revelers awake in the early hours of the day, pre-emptying the rising of the sun. As the carnival patrons march joyfully in the streets, they are preceded and followed by the vibrant sounds of the traditional drums, the Lapo Kabwit (goat skin drum ensemble), the sakis and literally… everything else that can make a joyful noise. In no time, the bystanders follow along, being led by the marching bands as they celebrate in one accord.
Dominica Carnival Cultural Elements:
Of all the Caribbean Carnivals, Dominica carnival is considered “The Real Mas” because it has retained its key cultural elements. These include the use of key Caribbean carnival figures such as the Sensay, the stiltwalkers (also known as Moko Jombie), the Darkies, the Sakis Lapo Kabwi and the Pappy Show wedding. Additionally, to close off the carnival season on Ash Wednesday, Dominica celebrates a traditional event called “Tewe Vaval” which means “Bury the Carnival”, as a way to put the season to an end and start the lenten season. To learn more about these carnival cultural elements that make Dominica’s carnival traditional, check out my article: What makes Dominica’s carnival unique.
Pageantry during Dominica Carnival:
Like many Caribbean islands, pageantry plays a key role during Dominica’s carnival. Beyond the fact they help to promote self love, self growth and community support within the island, pageants in Dominica are also an avenue for companies and enterprises to rally and support one or many candidates that they believe in.
Winners of different beauty pageants benefit from a wide range of prizes, ranging from scholarships to pursue their higher education (for the Miss Dominica National pageant) to opportunities to discover more of the island through unique experiences. When you visit Dominica as part of your first Caribbean carnival experience, you get the opportunity to attend different beauty pageants that target different demographics too.
Some of the popular beauty pageants that happen during the Dominica Carnival include: The Miss Dominica Pageant, the Teenage Pageant, the Princess Show, and the Mother’s Queen Pageant.
Calypso Competition during Dominica Carnival:
“Dominicans love their calypso!” One of my Calypsonian friends reminded me, during catch up chatter post-carnival. And truly, they do. The Calypso music competition allows artists, singers and entertainers to depict flaws of the society in a crafty, intriguing and entertaining presentation. The competition includes several rounds, which can be assimilated to mini-concerts (for the patron), at the end of which a calypso monarch (King or Queen) is crowned on the finals night. The Calypso competition happens over a few weeks (with rounds of elimination, quarter finals and semifinals), and culminates in a grand finale on the Saturday of the carnival weekend.
Carnival Parties and Fetes during Dominica Carnival:
Beyond being soaked in culture during the carnival season in Dominica, you can also enjoy trendy and exhilarating parties and fetes! They definitely add some spice to your Caribbean carnival experience in Dominica. The beauty of these fetes is this: they tend to have different crowds, different appeal and different artists on the lineup; which helps in choosing which event to attend. At least, those are factors that I tend to look at, in addition to “who is the promoter of the event”.
Let’s dive deeper into the best parties and fetes that happen during Dominica’s Carnival and those you should put on your radar:
Dat is Kanaval – Dominica Carnival Edition:
A “tropical paradise” themed night-time party, with headline performance by Allison Hinds, the queen of Soca. Watch the experience here!
Wine Down – Dominica Carnival Edition:
A “vineyard” themed sunset party with popular DJs across the Caribbean and Dominica. Watch the experience here!
Viva La Carnival – Dominica Carnival Edition:
A popular, colorful night-time cooler fete (where you can bring your own cooler with drinks to share with friends), with good vibes and popular DJs from Dominica and the Caribbean. This is how it went down:
Pinknic – Dominica Carnival Edition:
A “pink-themed” cocktail event that turns into a night-time party with amazing DJs, lawn games and popular entertainers from Dominica. See the first PinkNic event in Dominica here!
Opulence – Dominica Carnival Edition:
A day-time brunch event/party on Carnival Sunday, with a great selection of foods and drinks. Perfect for a body and mind reset while preparing for Jouvert morning later on Monday! It features popular DJs in Dominica and the Caribbean.
See how the event was in 2023:
Sunrise – Dominica Carnival Edition:
A night time, “caribbean sunrise-themed” event that starts in the late hours of the evening and ends in a day-break (with the rising of the sun). The event features popular entertainers (Asa Bantan) and live bands in Dominica (such as the Signal Band), as well as trendy and renowned Caribbean entertainers such as Mr Killa’. Watch Sunrise 2023 here!
Souse and Punch – Dominica Carnival Edition:
A signature Carnival fete, hosted as a fundraising event by the Rotary Club of Dominica, and featuring free souse and punch (while stocks last). This Caribbean Carnival fete also has some of the most popular DJs in the Caribbean, as well as the hottest musical acts and artists in Dominica.
See how Souse and Punch went down this year!
Dominica Carnival: what happens during Carnival Day in Dominica?
First of all: all events that happen prior to Carnival Monday and Tuesday (the pageants, competitions and fetes) lead to the carnival weekend, which culminate into Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday. So there is not one single carnival day, but there are Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday.
On Carnival Sunday (I know, I added another day): the last carnival party in Dominica (Souse and Punch) ends around 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM, and every one is supposed to go home and rest for Jouvert morning (which is Carnival monday morning, early hours).
Jouvert Morning: a critical part of your Caribbean Carnival Experience:
Here, we are on Monday morning, around 2:15 AM onwards: people head down to the streets of Roseau with their different Jouvert costumes (it can be anything you want, really. Anything).
If you joined a Jouvert costume band, then you would follow the costume code for the band. In addition to traditional costumes that people can wear from Jouvert, you can also join the Lumination Jouvert Band by Signal Band, which is the biggest, largest and best party Jouvert band for carnival Monday morning. They provide you with cups, t-shirts, accessories, leotards (bath suit styles) and unlimited drinks for your experience.
Get a taste of what it feels like to be in the Lumination Jouvert morning band here! (PS: we call it Lumi, because we bring the light!)
Dominica Carnival Monday T-Shirt Bands Jump Up:
After Jouvert morning (which ends around 9:00 – 10:00 AM on Carnival monday), you head back home to to rest, relax, have breakfast and lunch, and return to the streets around 2:00 PM for the T Shirt band jump up. Here, you can either jump up on the streets following different trucks, or decide to join T Shirt bands groups to elevate your experience. Here are the most popular T shirt band groups:
- Klubirds T Shirt band: with Signal Band – which is my recommendation: I opt for Signal Band because I love their music, their lyrics and the vibe and energy they bring on the road.
- TK Mega Monday T Shirt band with TK International Band – the longest serving Bouyon band in Dominica, they have a lot of patrons as well, and you can choose to join their group too.
Carnival Monday jump up ends at 10:00 PM (exactly, yes – the police is on the road to make sure that the paraders are safe, and that all music is cut off by 10:00 PM, religiously). After this, you head back home, rest and prepare for Day 2: Carnival Tuesday, also known as “Costume Parade Day”.
Dominica Carnival Tuesday Costume Parade:
From 10:00 AM, different costume bands line up the stress of Roseau to display their beautiful costumes. In addition to costume bands, the Carnival Tuesday parade includes winners and contestants from the different pageants and competitions that took place during the Carnival season.
In terms of Carnival costume bands in Dominica, here are the costume bands in Dominica, including those I recommend:
- The Pulse Experience – Dominican Carnival Costume Band: definitely my top recommendation: the experience, costume design, flow of work, presence on the road and entire package (including breakfast, snacks, lunch and on-the-road medical assistance) is top tier. If you had to pick a band, go for this one.
- The Fantacy Tribe – Dominican Carnival Costume Band: a carnival band produced by Signal Band, this comes as a close second in my ranking. The reason I like them is first because they are a product of the Signal Band, they are innovative, and came up with a children section within the band – super useful if you have school age children who want to parade with their parents on Carnival Tuesday too! Nonetheless, as a new band, they still have a lot of work to do in terms of logistics, but I definitely appreciated their innovation and product.
- Hysteria Mas – Dominican Carnival Costume Band: Hysteria Mas is one of the longest standing carnival costume bands in Dominica. I got the opportunity to “play mas” with them the year after hurricane Maria, and it was the release that I needed. A lot of patrons in Dominica love playing Mas with Hysteria for different reasons. However, with the rise of newer bands, I have personally felt more attracted to the product offerings of newer bands (like the Pulse Experience and Fantacy Tribe), than to the offerings of Hysteria Mas.
- Amnesia Costume Band – Dominican Carnival Costume Band: Amnesia is another Carnival costume band in Dominica. The band tends to be popular among specific demographics, and they also had some pretty costumes this year. You can check it out here.
PS: Having lived in the Caribbean for 10+ years, I pick my Carnival bands based on a lot more than what the costume looks like. This is what to look for before picking a Caribbean Carnival band.
Curious to see what the costumes looked like on the road for different Caribbean Carnival costume bands in Dominica? Check it out here!
And what if you don’t want to be a part of a costume band? Can you still take part in the Carnival Tuesday parade? Absolutely. And this is how you can take part in Carnival without being a part of a costume band.
Ash Wednesday: Tewe Vaval – closing of the Dominica Carnival Season
Tewe Vaval is the ultimate event that closes the Caribbean Carnival season in Dominica. During this event, there is a traditional burial ceremony that takes place in the Kalinago territory, symbolizing the burying of the Carnival season and the start of the Lenten season.
What to pack when traveling to Dominica for your first Caribbean Carnival
Now that you know exactly how the carnival season in Dominica unfolds, it’s important for you to plan your travels accordingly and pack the right items before traveling to Dominica for your first (or repeat) Caribbean Carnival experience. So, this is how I would pack if I were to travel to Dominica for Carnival:
For the Dominica Carnival parties
- Loose clothing, or anything you feel comfortable in for partying. Think “summer in the Caribbean”
- Comfortable sandals (2 or 3 pairs), heels are not necessary unless you are planning to do dinner nights but… I wouldn’t recommend it. Unless you have a cute pair of sandals with a mini-heel
- Trendy, stylish tennis shoes: they always go a long way especially for night parties that tend to be crowded. There is a higher risk of people stepping on your toes, involuntarily! ‘
- Trendy, stylish shades (sunnies): we are thinking “summer in the Caribbean”, remember?
For the Dominica Carnival jump ups (Monday and Tuesday)
- Short pants: any color you prefer. I tend to opt for black or white. They can work with anything
- Tennis shoes: this is mandatory. Tennis shoes are your best asset to navigate the crowded streets on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Some women go for flat boots for a more stylish look, and it works too. Once your toes are covered and the sole of your shoes is strong, you’re good.
- A stocked fanny pack: the perfect fanny should have a combination of the following items: phone, keys, lip balm, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, a snack bar, shades, pain killers, and any other emergency medicine you might need. I share more about how to make the perfect fanny pack in this video (watch from minute 5:52).
PS: if you choose to join a costume band, then your costume and T-shirts will be provided to you. Only pack your fashion accessories, and your fanny pack.
For the post-Carnival self care:
- Bathing suits: if you are spending 1-2 weeks in Dominica, pack about 3 pairs of bathing suits. From relaxing and rejuvenating in the sulfur springs, to lazing on the beach or enjoying river water experiences, you will have plenty of opportunities to use them. And you don’t want to worry about one suit being too wet to wear!
Your Caribbean Carnival experience in Dominica cannot be complete without relaxing at the Sulphur Springs on this beautiful volcanic island. Step your Caribbean vacation up a notch and try out one of these top bucket list experiences to have in Dominica!
I hope you found this article on the ultimate guide to Dominica’s carnival helpful!
Let me know: have you ever experienced Dominica’s Carnival? What about a Caribbean Carnival experience on another island? I’d love to know!
PS: looking for the best things to do in Dominica for your upcoming visit? Here is a complete and comprehensive guide on how to visit the Nature Isle!
See you in the next adventure,
Clem.
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