By Donna Jefferson
Dancers and musicians, festival kings and queens, dazzling costumes, and feathered headdresses in a riot of color make the Caribbean’s most famous festivals a photographer’s dream. These colorful festivals combine folk traditions and modern elements in enthralling displays marked by irresistible energy and cultural pride. Travelers looking for an exotic, color-filled experience should include some of these festivals when planning their Caribbean getaway.
- Crop Over Festival, Barbados
Held every July, Barbados’ Crop Over Festival began as a celebration of the end of the island’s sugar cane harvest. The original festival ended in the 1940s, but the 1970s and 80s saw it resurrected. The organizers ensured some of the traditional elements, such as the delivery of the last canes and the Crop Over folk concert were included. In addition to these great photo opportunities, you can also make your way to calypso and soca competitions at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, the Pic-o-de-Crop calypso finals, the Cohobblopot concert, and the must-see Grand Kadooment (big party) with its masquerade bands, music trucks, and ornate costumes.
- Antigua Carnival, Antigua and Barbuda
The Antigua Carnival is nothing less than Antigua and Barbuda’s biggest summer festival. Although the origins of this 13-day festival are found in the 19th century emancipation era, the modern version began in the 1950s. The Antigua Carnival takes place annually between July and August. You’ll find no shortage of opportunities to take once-in-a-lifetime photos, thanks to the event’s calypso and steel band competitions, teen pageants, Queen of Carnival pageants, marching troupes, and a mouthwatering variety of food stalls.
- Spicemas, Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique
A 10-day celebration of the world-renowned spice production of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique, Spicemas transforms these islands with a palette of vibrant colors. This festival began in the late 1800s and has evolved over decades to include calypso and soca music, pageantry, and the Dimanche Gras Sunday parade in St George’s, followed by the Monday J’ouvert parade featuring Devil Mas bands. While every aspect of this colorful Caribbean festival presents incredible opportunities to photographers, the revelers covered in chocolate, molasses, mud, oil, and paint are the undisputed highlight.
- Junkanoo Festival, Turks and Caicos
In December and January each year, the 16 islands of Turks and Caicos celebrate the Junkanoo Festival, which has its roots in West African culture. According to some historians, the festival might have begun when slaves received three days off over the Christmas period. Today’s festival is a riotous party where you’ll find parades of people wearing handmade costumes, musicians playing rake-and-scrape or ripsaw music, and much more. Make your way to downtown Nassau, Providenciales, for the finest of the celebrations. You’ll also find a museum dedicated to the Junkanoo tradition in this part of town.
- Mas Domnik, Dominica
One of the most authentic Caribbean festivals, Mas Domnik takes place in Dominica across January and February every year. With eye-popping displays of art, dance, and music, this festival is a photographer’s dream come true. The island’s African and French roots are put on display by traditional lap kabwit drumming bands, the mix of soca, zouk, and Dominican musical styles known as bouyon music, and decorated stilt walkers known as BwaBwa. The best photo opportunities are during the street parades, which come to an end on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
- Carnaval Dominicano, Dominican Republic
A celebration of Dominican independence, Carnaval Dominicano is one of the oldest folk traditions in the Caribbean. Festivities take place every Sunday in February, during which thousands of people compete for the best costumes. Keep your camera handy, as the parades feature a plethora of characters. Some of the most famous of them include the limping devil known as the Diablo Cojuelos, piglets known as Los Lechones, devilish characters known as Los Taimáscaros, beaded costume-wearing dancers known as the Guloyas, and the body paint-sporting Los Pintaos. Carnaval Dominicano draws to a close with Desfile Nacional or National Parade in Santo Domingo on the first Sunday in March.
- Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, Trinidad and Tobago
Traditionally held on the Monday and Tuesday before the beginning of the fasting season on Ash Wednesday in February or March, the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival in Trinidad’s capital city, Port of Spain, is one of the biggest and most colorful of all Caribbean festivals. As with many other carnivals in the Caribbean, the parades feature elaborate costumes, sparkling outfits, dancers, and musicians playing soca beats on steel pan drums. Make sure you don’t miss J’ouvert or Carnival Monday, when revelers throw paint, flour, mud, and clay at each other, creating a spectacle of color. This is also an excellent opportunity to take unique photos for your portfolio, as they’ll be unlike any you’ve taken before—or are likely to take again.
Caribbean Festival Photography Tips
Use the following tips to make the most of photographing the most colorful festivals in the Caribbean.
Take the right camera gear: If you’re a beginner, take your DSLR and standard kit 18-55mm lens, a zoom lens if possible, and a tripod, especially if you want to shoot at night. Light displays and fireworks are a feature of many festivals, so a tripod is a must if you want to capture clear images. You should also take spare batteries and memory cards. The Caribbean is close to the equator, which means daylight can be harsh, so take a polarizing filter if you have one.
Research the festivals you want to attend: Before heading off on your photography adventure in the Caribbean, make sure you research the festivals you plan to attend. Learn about their significance and find out about the routes the parades and processions will follow. If possible, visit the venues before the event and try to find the best vantage points to take photographs.
The best festivals in the Caribbean are known for their incredible colors, electric atmosphere, and fun-filled revelry. Attend them with your camera, and you’re assured of capturing images you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
