Saturday, January 3, 2026, Curacao’s Carnival season reopened in festive fashion. Carnival is celebrated in Curacao on a grand scale and various events are organized until February 21, 2026.

Curacao carnival: different from the Netherlands

There is one thing for sure, Carnival in Curacao is completely different from those in the Netherlands. That starts with the music. Where cheerful hoempapa music can be heard in the Netherlands, in Curacao, people party to Tumba. Tumba is an upbeat style of music and dance in which you will hear many instruments. The message of Tumba songs is always positive. Besides the music, the way of dressing up is also completely different. In the Netherlands, depending on each region, you see mostly people in crazy costumes or homemade themed clothing. In Curacao, people walk in beautiful costumes with headdresses, glitter, feathers and lots of color, which are usually worked on all year to make the costumes for the whole carnival group. What is also different is the way Carnival is celebrated. In the Netherlands everyone goes to the pub, in Curacao Carnival is all about Tumba and parades in the streets.

Curacao Carnival 2026 group street — Curacao Carnival 2026 group

Cheerful music, beautiful costumes and parades

There are 5 major carnival groups marching in the parades. During these parades, children, teens and adults walk and dance to perfection and in the finest costumes. In addition to the participants, festive floats will also pass by. This year’s carnival theme in Curacao is “nos Karnaval” (our carnival). If you want to watch the beautiful parades, you can easily do so by just picking a nice spot along the route. Then remember in advance that you may (probably) be getting full sun for a while, so think sunscreen, a bottle of water and if possible something like a cap or the like.

Walk along yourself?

If you really want to immerse yourself in the Curaçao Carnival, you can apply to join one of the carnival groups (e.g. with Corendon) to participate in the parades. For this you pay (at least) about € 700 and for this you get a beautiful costume + participation in the Gran Marcha, the big parade.
> More info about signing up at carnival group

Curacao carnival 2026: the parades

This year’s parades are on the following dates, with indicative start times:

Horse parade: Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, 4 p.m.
Children’s parade: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, 1 p.m.
Teen parade: Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, 6 p.m.
Bandabou parade: Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026

Gran Marcha: Sunday, February 15, 2026, 11:00 a.m.
Farewell parade teens: Monday, Feb. 16. 2026, 15:00
Farewell parade: Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, 5 p.m.

More info below for each parade.

What time are the parades?

The listing of parades below also includes the formally determined start and end times. But…. it’s Curaçao 😉 so “poko poko” (Papiamentu for ‘take it easy’). So it may happen that a widely communicated start time of 14:00 means that around 15:00 only the first participants of the parade show up at the start location to start the parade around 15:30.
The times listed below are the times as we get them from the Curaçao authorities, but be prepared that the start may turn out to be 1 or 2 hours later than communicated.

Parade real-time tracking on your phone

Want to join the parade but don’t feel like waiting a long time before it arrives? Then download the Und’e Kabes Ta?-app. With it, you can keep a perfect eye (including push notifications) on where the parade is or when it comes near a location you specify. The app is available for Android and iPhone.

Horse Parade

Sunday, February 1, 2026, 16:00 to 21:00
Most parades take place in the western part of Curaçao. On Sunday, February 1, the horse parade (Marcha di Kabai) starts in the center of Willemstad. You can stand at the start on Pater Euwensweg in Otrobanda (near SVB) or along Roodeweg. The route goes via the Weg naar Welgelegen and the F.D. Rooseveltweg and ends at the junction with the Jan Noorduynweg.
You can sit for free along the entire route to enjoy all the splendor. If you want to know exactly what the routes are, check out the map further down this page.
Notice: this is the only parade that runs from south to north; all others head toward downtown.

Children’s Parade

Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, all youngsters pull out their best outfits for the Children’s Carnival Parade. From 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., they walk and dance the carnival route in their costumes. The children’s parade starts at the Palù Blanku traffic circle and is about 5 km long. The route heads south, follows Schottegatweg West and turns left toward Roodeweg in Otrobanda. The ending point of this parade, like all subsequent parades, is Brion Square in Otrobanda, located right next to the Pontjes Bridge.

Teen Parade

Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, it’s the teens’ turn. From 6 to 11 p.m., teens will make a party during the Teen Parade. The route is the same as the horse parade, but the other way around: the teen parade heads toward downtown. Start is at the intersection of F.D. Rooseveltweg and Jan Noorduynweg (4 kilometers south of Hato Airport) and the parade ends at Brionplein in Otrobanda.

Bandabou carnival parade

Curacao Carnival Grand Parade Gran Marcha

Saturday, February 14, 2026, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The only parade not in town is the Bandabou Carnival parade and will take place on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 3 p.m. This is a route along the Kaminda Popo Royer. The parade starts halfway down Kaminda Prospero Popo Rojer and heads toward the road to Westpunt. On the Road to Westpunt, the parade turns right and ends at Barer’s soccer club, Centro Social Deportivo Barber. Keep in mind traffic jams and delays if you want to get to West Point on this Saturday.

The big parade: Gran Marcha

Sunday, February 15, 2026, 11:00 to 19:00
The Gran Marcha, the big carnival parade, is on Sunday, February 15, 2026. From 11:00 to 19:00 you can pick a spot along the route and enjoy the party, dancing and watching the participants with their beautiful costumes. The route of the parade is exactly the same as that of the teen parade.

Farewell Parades

Monday, Feb. 16 14:00-20:00 / Tuesday, Feb. 17 18:00-01:00
On Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, the youth and teens get to shine one more time in the farewell parade from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. They walk the same route as on Friday, Feb. 13. They will walk the same route as on Friday, Feb. 13.
On Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, the adults will walk the Gran Marcha route one more time during the main farewell parade from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. The latter is also called the parade of lights and is always very popular among tourists and local visitors.

On Saturday, March 21, 2026, the festival season will conclude with a grand farewell party at the Curaçao Festival Center.

Route Carnival parades

The city’s parades all have the same route. Start is just before the Frank D. Rooseveltweg/Jan Noorduynweg intersection, and then basically just straight ahead to the terminus at the Pontjes Bridge. The route follows the Frank D. Roosevelt Road to the large Palù Blanku traffic circle. There, take the first exit onto Schottegatweg West, straight on onto Weg naar Welgelegen and via Roodeweg walk out of Breedestraat until you reach St. John’s. Anna Bay.
Please note that the horse parade takes the same route, but in the opposite direction: starting point is downtown and then the route runs north.

YDK Carnival Village

Looking forward to Carnival 2026? At YDK Village – Ola Blou edition, experience four days of non-stop partying in style. This #1 carnival stand offers an all-inclusive experience with open bar, food & snacks, covered tents, professional security and a private enclosed area at the Hanchi YDK Gas Station. Expect top-notch performances from DJ Iski, Alex Sargo and DJ Nexuz, complemented by MCs and surprise guest appearances. Choose a full package with all parades and merchandise (1 cap, 2 shirts), a single day for the Gran Marcha or Marcha di Despedida, or visit the teener parade. Dress code: black. This is Curacao Carnival: together, exuberant and full of energy.

Where are you going to look?

You can watch the parades anywhere along the route. Bring a folding chair and your own cooler and you’re all set. Note that some spots are already reserved by locals who come there with their families and friends to watch. Then a piece is cordoned off with ribbon, sand or chalk. Avoid hassle and respect that; stand 10 meters away and you will see it well.
Not sure yet where you want to watch? Our advice is to park your car at the Palù Blanku traffic circle, about halfway along the route. Parking is easy here and the parades come by relatively early (except the horse parade). If you go with children, it’s nice if you don’t have to wait too long for the parade to pass by because it sometimes wants to be delayed.

Want to watch the Bandabou parade on Saturday? Which goes from just outside Barber to the middle of the village. Check out the route here.