Excitement Grows Ahead of the Return of St Lucia’s Carnival in 2022
by Karen Rollins May 5, 2022
Excitement and anticipation are growing ahead of the upcoming ‘Lucian Carnival’ which is scheduled to return in July after a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national celebration will take place from 7-19 July 2022, and tickets for several national and private events are already selling out, according to the minister of tourism, Dr Ernest Hilaire.
The official calendar of carnival events was launched in April 2022 and since then preparations for the annual street party have been steadily advancing. In a statement on Tuesday 3 May, Dr Hilaire said: “I am excited with how plans are progressing for Lucian Carnival 2022.
“The committees that we have put together, both the Carnival Planning and Management Committee and the Carnival Music Management Committee, bring a pool of experience to the table, as we plan to bring back our cultural showcase after its two-year hiatus… It is very exciting when we hear that carnival events are sold out within days after being launched, and some, even four to five months in advance.”
In December 2021, St Lucia was the first country in the Caribbean to announce plans to host a carnival with the suggestion of a so-called ‘Vaxxed Mas’ for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19. However, as the number of coronavirus cases and deaths have continued to decline on the island, and around the world, it is unclear whether this requirement will still be enforced.
Dr Hilare’s statement did not directly address the fully vaccinated question, but added: “Meetings will continue to be held with officials from the Ministry of Health and the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) to finalise health and safety protocols for the hosting of Saint Lucia Carnival 2022, as we draw closer to the commencement of this highly anticipated cultural showcase.”
