So this year I have committed to trying one all new carnival experience to make up for missing Trinidad carnival 2026.
I’ve decided to try St. Lucia Carnival 2026 with Xuvo!
I am a total noobie when it comes to St. Lucia but “did my own research” using recommendations from globalcarnivalist.com in particular to put together what I hope will be a fantastic new experience.
Flights
Flights from Jamaica are a mess, and expensive. I have to fly to Miami, overnight, then from Miami into the main international airport (UVF) in the south of the island. This airport is the larger of the two on the island, and accepts international jets (where propeller plane ah go!). Flights from Jamaica to the smaller airport, closer to the capital tend to have longer layovers and involve smaller planes which I don’t feel comfortable on.
Airfare is already over 1000usd from Jamaica in February and will only get more expensive, so organise yourself!
Accomodation
Once there, I have been advised that the best place to stay is in the region of Gros Islet or Rodney bay. This is a tourist centric location with plenty of hotel accomodation as well as numerous Airbnb’s. Hotel stays can be expensive and Airbnb’s book out early, so if you are planning to go to St. Lucia, get cracking on this now!
Transport
So far I have found airport shuttle service on Viator but more research is needed to find a driver to carry me and my crew up and down to the fetes. I will update this post later when I get more info on this.
Band
This year I’m going to jump with XUVO, one of St. Lucias big bands, known for high energy and good road amenities and experience.
You can take a look at their offerings here. Take a look at the male costume options they have below.
Other big bands include Just4Fun and Fuzion mas.
It feels good to try something new.
