Last Saturday evening, nine groups of about twenty people paraded from the Agrément roundabout to the Marigot waterfront, officially launching the 2026 Saint-Martin Carnival season. This well-known parade, called “Culturanza,” highlighted the more traditional aspects of the festivities, both through its music and costumes.
Even before the Culturanza parade was unveiled to the public who had come in large numbers to witness the spectacle, its drums filled the air of the capital, making the asphalt tremble and hearts beat faster. A parade to the sound of drums and with purely traditional costumes, like those one used to hear and see in the past. That, at least, was the aim of theSaint-Martin Carnival Festivities Association Behind this first parade: “We thought, ‘Why not take advantage of the launch to highlight culture and tradition?'” explains the association’s president, Luciana Raspail. Dressed in an elegant traditional green costume, the inimitable president also paraded through the streets on Saturday evening, accompanied, among others, by Bernadette Venthou-Dumaine, territorial councilor and member of the board of directors of the Saint-Martin Tourist Office. The two then took to the stage to formally launch the carnival festivities on the French side. “For us, Carnival isn’t just a celebration; it’s history, freedom, it’s our identity. (…) We must continue this tradition, protect it, and most importantly, pass it on to our children,” declared Bernadette Venthou-Dumaine. The children were treated to their parade the following day on a shorter route, from Concordia to the Marigot waterfront, under cloudier skies, but this in no way dampened the festive spirit. _DR
Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/festivites-le-carnaval-2026-lance-au-rythme-des-traditions/
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