Carnival has been described as live art and poetry of motion.  Grenada-born Brother Valentino, the Trinidad-based calypso legend, sums it up by calling carnival a “beautiful scenery’’ and a “gift’’ from the Most High.  The Grenada Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Culture and Sport concurs with the various appellations of carnival, although they do not quite capture the texture of Grenada’s version, Spice Mas.

For the cultural aficionado, or the casual vacationer or fun-seeker, who hasn’t experienced Spice Mas, doing so is a must; to not do so is almost a dereliction of duty.  Spice Mas is a fusion of some of best elements of the increasingly popular carnival culture, whose Trinidad and Eastern Caribbean ingenuity has been taking deep roots and spreading globally, especially in North America.  However, Spice Mas – this world-class festival – provides much more by offering a uniquely Grenadian carnival. 
For one thing, the exquisite timing of Spice Mas makes the experience exceptional.  It happens at the tail-end of the holiday season, as parents prepare to ready their children for the return to school. Grenada renders an idyllic setting for this last street jump in the Caribbean each year.

Our utmost desire is for you to join us during all of July until mid-August. Spice Mas ends on August 10 and 11, Carnival Monday and Tuesday.  But whether it is for one day or eight weeks, we guarantee you’ll not regret making Grenada your holiday stop for the Caribbean final street jump up, which includes the “Ole Mas’’ and Jab Jab of J’Ouvert Morning and the T-shirt parade of Monday Nite Mas around the breathtaking Carenage harbour in St. George’s.

Everyone – from the youngest to the oldest, Grenadian and visitor – is invited to participate in the revelry. Carnival demands that every person is either a mas player or a “spectator-player,’’ frolicking from J’Ouvert to Monday Nite Mas, to the daytime parades on August 10 and 11.  There is no complete spectator, and no room for the bashful and the inhibited.

It’s impossible for an onlooker, when hit by the pulsating sweet sounds of Grenada’s steelband, soca and Jab Jab music, to not swing and sway, tap a foot or jump up behind a masquerade band.  You can organise your own masquerade band if you wish or register to play mas with an already existing one.  Keep visiting this site for a list of masquerade bands and their contact information.

Pre-carnival fetes and shows, as well parish-based cultural extravaganzas such as Rainbow City Festival in St. Andrew (July 31 – August 3), and Carriacou’s Regatta (July 26 – August 3), are as much a treat as the official Spice Mas competitive activities.

The Ministry of Culture has worked diligently with Chairman Colin E. Dowe and the other members of the Spice Mas Management Committee to prepare an exciting and a comprehensive programme of events for carnival 2009.  We have endeavoured to make it both enjoyable and educational, demonstrating our nation’s expertise at presenting a first-rate cultural product and our desire to share our unique cultural gift with the rest of the world.

We invite one and all, local and foreigner, to have safe, clean fun in our tropical paradise; in our Tri-island nation-state that is affectionately known as the Isle of Spice.

Click here to visit the Grenada Board of Tourism website

Senator Arley Gill
Minister of State
Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Culture, Sports