Grand Carnival parade preparation in full swing | SOUALIGA NEWSDAY

February 13, 2022

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) announced that registration is still open for parade troupes, floats and individual costume pieces to sign up to take part in the Grand Carnival Parade. The SCDF also said that it is excited to see the registered troupes launching their costumes pieces publicly and opening their mas camps.

Registered troupes have taken to social media to “show off” their frontline, mid and backline pieces. With only one parade on the adjusted Carnival schedule, the troupe leaders are doing as much as they can to make the Grand Carnival parade a spectacular one, the SCDF said.

“We are grateful that the troupe leaders and their revelers are putting the work in to make this re-start of Carnival a spectacular one. Just the like the SCDF, the troupe leaders were well into their preparations and had made financial commitments when Carnival was cancelled in March 2020. It is not an easy endeavor at all to put these troupes on the road especially in a difficult economic atmosphere. But they are here and they are working hard,” the SCDF said.

The Grand Carnival parade will be a combined Junior and Senior Carnival Parade on May 1. The SCDF has done this in the past with the juniors starting further down the parade route than the seniors. The two sections eventually link up with the juniors up front leading the entire parade. Thus far the SCDF has 15 troupes registered to participate in the parade, but is welcoming more.

Troupes can still register and so can individual costume pieces and floats. The mas camp information of the troupes can be found on Facebook. Also, all troupes and companies seeking to participate in the parade should register with the SCDF before April 1, 2022, by emailing info@sxm-carnival.com. This registration deadline does not apply to revelers the individual troupes that have their own registration process.