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03.10.2024 - 19:37 / lonelyplanet.com
Oct 3, 2024 • 10 min read
The fetes, the music, the colors, the oil – every year, Grenada’s biggest celebration draws thousands of revelers to its shores for Spicemas, the Caribbean nation's very own version of Carnival.
During the final days of what is a five-month-long celebration, the population of the Spice Island balloons from 11,000 to around 20,000 people. If you’ve seen the videos and photos and dreamed of being part of this magnificent party – coating yourself in black oil or donning a glittery costume and dancing on the road – we've got all the information you need to make it happen. Start planning your trip now with our first-time guide to being part of Spicemas in Grenada.
Spicemas season officially kicks off in April with fetes (parties), musical competitions and a traditional mas (masquerade) parade featuring Spicemas characters like the Vieux Corps (people dressed in black gowns, hats, wooden shoes and painted face masks), the Jab Jab (oil-covered figures with horns and chains), Moko Jumbies (performers on stilts) and the Shortknee (revelers donning painted wire masks and colorful polka-dotted costumes who carry powder).
This is a gradual build-up to the biggest events that happen during the first two weeks of August, capped off with a Carnival Tuesday celebration. Masqueraders, resplendent in barely there costumes, trail large, slow-moving trucks equipped with massive sound systems, pumping out soca music through the streets of Grenada.
It can sometimes feel like pure mayhem, but the collective joy of the crowd – many Grenadians come home for the event – is infectious.
Right now! Spicemas isn’t an event you can just attend on a whim or last minute with a group of friends. Veteran Spicemas attendees book hotels, costumes and plane tickets months in advance. If you don’t follow suit, you’ll have to spend a lot more than you planned to or potentially miss out entirely.
Unless you know a Grenadian who can shepherd you through the process, the best organization to follow for important dates about band launchings (when the year’s costumes are unveiled) or ticket sales is the Spicemas Corporation. For more general tourism questions, follow the Grenada Tourism Authority.
Hurricane season in the Caribbean traditionally runs from June to November. Aside from monitoring the forecast, signing up for travel insurance will protect you from major calamities.
Ideally a week. There are a host of events leading up to Carnival Tuesday, like the Soca Monarch competition (held on Carnival Friday and showcases the biggest names in the Grenadian soca music scene), the Panorama (steelpan) competition on Carnival Saturday and Calypso Monarch on Sunday.
If you're short on time, you can pack a lot into four days. Arrive
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