On Sunday, January 24, 2027, the Carnival season in Curaçao will once again kick off in festive style. Carnival is celebrated in a big way in Curaçao, and various events will be held through February 13, 2027.

Curaçao Carnival: Different from the Netherlands

One thing is certain: Carnival in Curaçao is completely different from Carnival in the Netherlands. It starts with the music. While you hear cheerful music of any kind in Europe, people in Curaçao party to Tumba. Tumba is a cheerful style of music and dance that features a variety of instruments. The message in Tumba songs is always positive. In addition to the music, the way people dress up is also completely different. In the Netherlands, depending on the region, you mainly see people in silly costumes or homemade themed outfits. On Curaçao, people wear beautiful costumes with headdresses, glitter, feathers, and lots of color; they usually spend the entire year working on these costumes for the entire carnival group. Another difference is the way Carnival is celebrated. In the Netherlands, everyone heads out to the bars; in Curaçao, Carnival is all about Tumba and the street parades.

Curacao Carnival 2026 group street — Curacao Carnival 2027 Group

Cheerful music, beautiful costumes and parades

There are 5 large carnival groups participating in the parades. During these parades, children, teenagers, and adults walk and dance, dressed to the nines in the most beautiful costumes. In addition to the participants, festive floats also pass by. This year’s Carnival theme in Curaçao is “nos Karnaval” (our Carnival). If you want to watch the beautiful parades, you can easily do so by simply finding a nice spot along the route. Just keep in mind beforehand that you’ll likely be standing in direct sunlight for a while, so be sure to sunscreen, a bottle of water, and if possible, a cap or something like that.

Walk along yourself?

If you really want to immerse yourself in the Curaçao Carnival, you can sign up to march in the parades with one of the carnival groups (for example, with Corendon). For this, you’ll pay (at least) around US$ 850, and in return you will receive, among other things, a stunning costume and participation in the Gran Marcha, the grand parade.
> More info on signing up with a carnival group

Curaçao Carnival 2027: The Parades

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

Horse Parade: Sunday, January 24, 2027, 4:00 pm
Children’s Parade: Sunday, January 31, 2027, 2:00 pm
Teen Parade: Friday, February 5, 2027, 6:00 pm
Bandabou Parade: Saturday, February 6, 2027, 1:00 pm

Gran Marcha: Sunday, February 7, 2027, 11:00 am
Teen Farewell Parade: Monday, February 8, 2027, 2:00 pm
Farewell Parade: Tuesday, February 9, 2027, 3:00 pm

More info below for each parade.

What time are the parades?

The list of parades below also includes the officially scheduled start and end times. But… this is Curaçao 😉 so “poko poko” (Papiamento for “take it easy”). So it can happen that a widely publicized start time of 2:00 p.m. means that the first parade participants don’t show up at the starting location until around 3:00 p.m., and the parade doesn’t actually start until around 3:30 p.m.
The times listed below are the times we receive from the Curaçao authorities, but please be prepared for the possibility that the start may be 1 or 2 hours later than announced.

Follow the parade in real time on your phone

Want to watch the parade but don’t feel like waiting a long time for it to arrive? Then download the free app Und’e Kabes Ta?. It lets you easily keep track of where the parade is (including via push notifications) and when it’s approaching a location you’ve specified. The app is available for Android and iPhone.

Horse Parade

Sunday, January 24, 2027, 4:00 pm. to 9:00 pm
Most parades take place in the western part of the city. On Sunday, January 24, the horse parade (Marcha di Kabai) will start in downtown Willemstad. You can watch from the starting point on Pater Euwensweg in Otrobanda (near the SVB) or along Roodeweg. The route runs along Weg naar Welgelegen and F.D. Rooseveltweg and ends at the intersection with Jan Noorduynweg.
You can find a spot anywhere along the entire route for free to enjoy all the splendor. If you want to know exactly what the routes are, take a look at 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, January 31, 2027, 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm
On Sunday, January 31, 2027, all young people will take their finest outfits out of the closet for the Children’s Carnival Parade. From 2 pm to 7 pm, they will walk and dance the carnival route in their costumes. The children’s parade starts at the Palù Blanku roundabout and is approximately 3 miles (like 5 km) long. The route heads south, follows Schottegatweg West, and turns left towards Roodeweg in Otrobanda. The endpoint of this parade, like all subsequent parades, is Brion square in Otrobanda, located directly next to the famous Pontoonbridge.

Teen Parade

Friday, February 5, 2027, 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm
On Friday, February 5, 2027, it is the teenagers’ turn. From 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm, the teenagers will throw a party during the Teen Parade. The route is the same as the horse parade, but in reverse: the teen parade heads towards the city center. The start is at the intersection of FD Rooseveltweg and Jan Noorduynweg (2.5 miles south of Hato Airport), and the procession ends at Brionsquare in Otrobanda.

Bandabou carnival parade

Curacao Carnival Grand Parade Gran Marcha

Saturday, February 6, 2027, 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm
The only parade that isn’t in the city is the Bandabou Carnival parade, which will take place on Saturday, February 6, 2027, at 1:00 pm in Barber. The route follows Kaminda Popo Royer. The parade starts halfway along Kaminda Prospero Popo Rojer and heads toward the road to West Point. On the road to Westpunt, the parade turns right and ends at the Barber soccer club, Centro Social Deportivo Barber. Be prepared for traffic jams and delays if you plan to go to Westpunt this Saturday, and take the route along the southwest side as much as possible.

The big parade: Gran Marcha

Sunday, February 7, 2027, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
The Gran Marcha, the grand carnival parade, is on Sunday, February 7, 2027. From 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, you can pick a spot along the route and enjoy the festivities, dance, and watch the participants in their beautiful costumes. The parade route is exactly the same as that of the teen parade.

Farewell Parades

Monday, February 8, 2:00 pm–8:00 pm / Tuesday, February 9, 3:00 pm
On Monday, February 8, 2027, the children and teenagers will have one more chance to shine in the farewell parade from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. They will follow the same route as on Friday, February 5.
On Tuesday, February 9, 2027, the adults will walk the Gran Marcha route one last time during the main farewell parade, which begins at 3:00 pm. This final parade is also known as the “parade of lights” and is always very popular among tourists and local visitors. Note: The start time of 3:00 pm is the official time, but partly because of the lights, the actual start time will likely not be until around 5:00 pm.

On Saturday, February 13, 2027, the festival season will likely conclude with an awards ceremony, “Entrega di premio,” 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.

Where are you going to join the party?

You can watch the parades from anywhere along the route. Bring a folding chair and your own cooler, and you’ll be all set. Please note: some spots have already been reserved by locals who come to watch with their family and friends. These areas are marked off with ribbon, sand, or chalk. To avoid any hassle, please respect these markings; stand about 10 yard away, and you’ll still have a great view.
Not sure where you want to go yet? We recommend parking your car at the Palù Blanku Roundabout, about halfway along the route. Parking is easy here, and the parades pass by relatively early (except for the horse parade). If you’re going with kids, it’s nice not to have to wait too long for the parade to arrive, since it can sometimes run late.

Would you like to watch the Bandabou parade on Saturday? It goes from just outside Barber to the center of the village. Check out the route here.