When I booked my Winter escape to Aruba, I wasn’t aware that we would be visiting during Carnaval. We ended up being there for the final weekend of Carnaval and the most important celebrations on the island. During our stay, there were several events to choose from. On Friday there was the lighting parade in the evening in San Nicolas, the second largest city in Aruba, less frequently explored by tourists. Saturday they hosted a parade in the same town during the day. On Sunday they have the biggest event, the parade in the capital city of Oranjestad. The parade is followed by an evening event where they burn the MoMo. In an effort to balance our time between experiencing Carnaval, the beaches, and some of Aruba’s other attractions, we opted to attend the evening parade in San Nicolas and the day time parade in Oranjestad. Here’s a photo essay of Carnaval in Aruba.
Carnaval in Aruba Lighting Parade in San Nicolas
This is one of the first entertainers to get the crowd going during the Carnaval Lighting Parade in Aruba.
My favorite costumes at Carnaval were the butterflies. This butterfly was particularly beautiful and had some pizazz in her step.
Here you can see how detailed even the back of the costume was.
Several floats with full bands were a part of the parade, playing popular local music.
Each band had a group of walkers behind them to dance. Each group had themed costumes and as many lights as possible. Check out the lights on the shoes!
These are some of the Queens of the Carnaval in Aruba, decked out in their beautiful costumes and tiaras.
Another performer in a beautiful costume posed for me to snap a photo.
Carnaval in Aruba Sunday Parade in Oranjestad
None other than Donald Trump led off the parade pulling the Momo (which would later be burned to end the carnaval celebrations)
Cheers to Carnaval in Aruba!
After about an hour of processions, the parade came to an end.
Tips for attending Carnaval in Aruba:
- San Nicolas is far from Oranjestad (45 min) and even farther from the high rise hotels (about 1 hour). Rent a car or make sure you have a reliable taxi service to transport you to and from the event.
- The evening parade is VERY long. It lasted a few hours. You can bring drinks, snacks, and chairs to sit on the side of the road to watch.
- You can show up as the parade starts. It did start shortly after 9pm, maybe closer to 10pm.
- The parade in Oranjestad starts around 12, but we were at the tail end of the parade route and it did not reach us until 4pm.
- We arrived at our spot along the route around 3pm and had a good view.
- It is HOT HOT HOT. Bring water, but you can buy from vendors walking along the route. Bring a hat or an umbrella for shade.
- The crowds are not bad (this coming from a New Yorker though).
Carnaval in Aruba was an amazing experience! I am glad I was able to experience it once in my lifetime. They put on a great show full of wonderful music and beautiful costumes. If you have the chance to experience, I suggest you give it a try!
It seems to be the most wonderful time to visit Aruba ! I can already feel the vibrant colors and lively spirit of the event: plenty of parades, music, costume contests and phenomenal food and drink :-). It is so good to celebrate local culture through music and dance.
This must have been a great event! I love the costumes, especially the one that looks like a golden sun. I never attended a carnaval but would love to one day although the crowds are daunting me a bit!
Such stunning costumes! I loved how you captured all of the movement in your photos too. Gotta love the surprise experiences that make travel so addicting!
This looks incredible, I love the costumes!
It didn’t look too crowded in your photos, so I might just really enjoy going to Aruba for carnival. I’m hesitant to go to Rio or even Venice, because of the crowds. Looks like you really had fun.
Yes, crowds not too bad at all! The parade route is long enough to accommodate everyone!
What a lovely coincidence you were there during Carnaval! I think I’d take some deckchairs, some cold beers (while they last) and just sit and watch! All the costumes are amazing!
This looks like an absolute riot in the best possible senses of the world – the dizzying array of colours, the party atmosphere and the general air of happiness. The costumes are wonderful. Looks like it’s worth being there for the whole thing, even if it is a very long event!
Looks like you had a time well spent in Aruba! How exciting you got to attend Carnaval while you were there. It looks like a ton of fun to attend and watch. Glad you had a great time!
I went to Carnaval here in Spain, but this sounds way cooler! In general, Carnaval in the Caribbean sounds like more fun. It is definitely on the list for one year in the future!
Wow, what a festive and fabulous time you had. I honestly hate parades and don’t know how long I’d be able to stand being at one. I hate crowds and noise (it must be because I am getting old lol). But it’s just as nice to live it vicariously through your post!
Wow! That looks so much fun! I wish I too can visit and see those kinds of celebrations!
Aruba!!!!! I so want to go there one day!! One of my dreams is to go to one of these carnivals, looks like you had such an amazing time The photos are great and show what an amazing time is had there!!
Amazing! Glad you shared all those photos of the carnival in Aruba! Sounds like fun even though the heat could be unbearable!
This looks so amazing! I love how detailed and intricate the costumes are. x
I dont’ think I’ve ever been to a carnival as sparkly as this one. I love how the costumes bring so much energy to the parade. I like the “THE END” sign because there have been times I’ve been to a parade and didn’t know if it was over or not! 🙂
Oh wow! It looks like everyone there had a great time, based on your photos! I actually had no idea that Aruba has a carnivale and I’ve been there. I love the uniqueness of the outfits and all the colors.
this looks like so so much fun! the colours, the outfits! I wish i can experience this one day!