St. John’s Carnival is a large celebration in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The celebration lasts a week long, sometimes even a month. Including pre-carnival events with lots of food, music, parades and most importantly J’ouvert. 

“The Carnival celebrations on St. John has triple celebration power. Carnival takes place during two important holidays; Emancipation Day – a local holiday commemorating the abolition of slavery and 4th of July/Independence Day – the U.S. holiday commemorating independence. In 1960 the 4th of July celebrations on St. John evolved into Carnival and the festival lasted more than a week. Today the event lasts several weeks and culminates on the 4th of July. It is called the St. John Festival”.- USVI Festivals

Although St. John has a smaller population, people from surrounding islands come to party. The streets of St. John get packed from people of all ages. Only places open are usually bars and restaurants and don’t worry Vibe will be too. The celebration goes on through all hours of the night so don’t expect to sleep much! 

Whether you are participating in the parade or just a spectator, the more color the better! Stack your accessories and make sure they have some bright gemstones to make a bold statement. This is the perfect opportunity to wear all your Vibe pieces. The costumes in the parade are filled with colorful, textured and all around jaw dropping beauty. There will be headpieces and accessories from head to toe. Body paint usually comes in to play when J'ouvert starts! You can dress up or down but it will get hot so less is more. If you decide to dress comfortably, make sure there are some neon colors. No matter what you wear, the most important thing is to make your experience memorable.

One of the best ways to celebrate Carnival is going to J’ouvert. It is a Caribbean event that no one misses, so get there early. This particular event is on Saturday, July 2nd, and it is characterized by taking place at the crack of dawn. You will be getting wet, colorful paint thrown at you and sometimes even muddy. So don’t be scared to get down and dirty while having fun! J’ouvert was first celebrated in the Caribbean after the abolition of slavery. All week there is an event each day to celebrate. Don’t miss out on the fun filled with food, drinks, music and dancing.

There will be plenty to see and do at Carnival as it has been 2 years since the last St. John Carnival. There is live music, good food, rides for young ones, drinks all over and plenty more planned! You will not want to miss the Fourth of July parade, bring the whole family and be ready to party! Walk the parade with the floats and performers in elaborate, beautiful costumes. The parade starts at noon but we recommend getting early as festivities tend to kick off early! 

June 26: Pan-O-Rama, a pre carnival steel pan celebrations; food fair with local vendors

June 30: The Village opens with 18 local vendor booths of lots of food, drinks, family friendly activities and nightly performances

July 2: J’ouvert, pre-dawn celebration

July 3: Emancipation Day Cultural Program

July 4: Parade day and fireworks to end the night

Among other local artists, St. John Village will feature reggae legends Morgan Heritage and Soca star Batson!

There are options to get to St. John's carnival and luckily it is right downtown so there is a lot around. We personally recommend it if you are on St. John to get a taxi ride into Cruz Bay as there will be limited parking. If you do drive, park in the gravel lot near the car barge and walk. If you are on St. Thomas just take the ferry to Cruz Bay and follow the sound of music and fun, you can’t miss it. If you own a boat or rent a charter for the day, you can ride into Cruz Bay and come a shore!

Comment below if you have any questions regarding St. John 2022 Carnival. 

We hope this guide was helpful in helping you get ready for a week of fun at Carnival. Shop our full collection below to find some styles that are right for Carnival!