Carnival Carnivals & Cultural Events Planning For Carnival

The Spice Mas 2026 Grenada Planning Guide

August 18, 2025August 26, 2025

If SpiceMas 2026 is on your radar, here’s a comprehensive planning guide on what you need to know to attend.

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Official dates for J’ouvert and Carnival Monday and Tuesday are…

Monday August 10th & Tuesday August 11th, 2026.

You need minimum 6-7 days to experience SpiceMas properly inclusive of fetes and cultural events
Plan as early as possible for Spice Mas due to the increased demand
Flights can range depending on your city from mid $500’s to $1000+ (buy early!)
Costume packages also range from $600 minimum and up depending on your preference
Accommodation prices can vary but prices are increased during the season (book early!)
Currency used is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC); exchange rate 1 USD is equal to $2.70-$2.90 EC
If you have never experienced carnival before, you need to walk with an open mind/heart
Must attend events include Soca Monarch, parade days like Jouvert, Monday Mas, Monday Night Mas and Tuesday Mas
Go2Fete.com has a list of carnival parties/fetes
Monday is probably the longest day when it comes to mas (3 national events in one day)
- Jouvert (wee morning hours to the afternoon)
- Monday Mas (afternoon to evening-sunset)
- Monday Night Mas (8/9pm to about 2-3am)
Tuesday is for Pretty Mas or Fancy Mas with the feathered costumes with various bands

Grenada aka The Spice Isle is legitimately one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean I’ve ever seen and known for its’ production of spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon & ginger. In the Caribbean carnival arena, they are renown for their Jouvert celebrations also known as playing a Jab.

Map created using Wanderlog, a road trip planner on iOS and Android

Where To Stay During Spice Mas

Some noteworthy resorts are:

I had the pleasure of being hosted via ORO Luxury Carnival Grenada at both the Royalton Grenada (located on Grand Anse beach) and the Bartholomew Villas located in Lance Aux Epines (2025). There are multiple villa properties but the one I stayed at was located next to Secret Harbour Boutique Hotel and Restaurant called Margaritaville. It was a multiple bedroom house with kitchen, living area, pool, walk out to boat deck and walking distance to Secret Harbour restaurant.

If you’re looking at areas for Airbnb or VRBO; these came recommended from locals:

Grand Anse Beach
Lance Aux Epines
Morne Rouge
The Lime

Getting Around For Spice Mas

For transportation, we took taxis and the bus. View official transport options HERE and read my Spice Mas Carnival review where we used Ace Ventura Taxis & Tours
Haylup – a ridesharing app. It totally worked even amongst so many people after J’ouvert. It is a bit pricy but you can also pay in cash or pay with card.

Spice Mas 2026 Carnival Bands

Pretty Mas/Fancy Mas is held on both Carnival Monday and Tuesday during Spice Mas and here are a few seasoned and new bands that are offering carnival costumes for 2026 (list subject to change).

While most persons flock to the isle of spice to play mas or to participate in Jab, we must not forget the cultural caricatures that come from the roots and history of SpiceMas; the TRADITIONAL mas players.

The JabJab
The ShortKnee
Vieux Corps
Wild Indian
Moko Jumbies
Ole Mas
Maypole Dancers
Sailor Mas

Fetes/Events

Some recommended events for Spice Mas 2026 are Soca Monarch, Pree-Day, Rum Boat, Pure White (Moonlight City). My best advice if you want a completely unfiltered SpiceMas experience is to do as the locals do. As of recent, there are a lot of “imported” events that may or may not dilute your experience- pay attention to their local DJ’s, mixes and where they’ll be playing. Ask the SpiceMas veterans about their experiences and events they would do again etc. If you’re looking for a cohesive list of events for Grenada/SpiceMas 2026 – check out Go2Fete.com.

I did go to _uck Work, Rum Boat and Wett. My biggest regret was not going to more cultural events but I was so tired from Antigua Carnival and also juggling work during this time. If I go to SpiceMas again, I would do less boat rides (lol) and more cultural events like Soca Monarch, the White event in Moonlight City and PreeDay.

Another important thing to note is the carnival timeline of events while you are in Grenada. It is TRULY NON STOP PACE + most events start on Grenadian time.

J’ouvert (wee morning hours- I was told until all the bands pass through the Carenage)

J’ouvert occurs during the early early morning hours til about mid day ish but did you know… that there are multiple J’ouvert celebrations happening in different parishes throughout the Spice isle and not just on carnival Monday but also on the Tuesday as well.

A few tips for preparing for J’ouvert:

Eat a goooooood breakfast
Use baby oil/vaseline to prep your skin for the oil (check my CARNIVAL essentials list)
If you don’t want to use oil, there’s a charcoal alternative (ask a local)
J’ouvert is free so you do not have to pay to join a band
The earlier you go the better, less people and less “organized J’ouvert bands”
You can get a helmet with horns but you would have to source for someone who does it locally
Carry a waterproof bag or case for your phone and belongings
Tying up your hair is NECESSARY!
Use detergent or Joy dishwashing liquid to break down the oil after J’ouvert
A beach dip is customary post J’ouvert
ALSO…expect anything 🙂

It’s EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO NOTE the history and significance of the Jab as it relates to slavery, emancipation and the evolution of the Caribbean carnival in Grenada. Please see video below posted by Know Your Caribbean on Instagram. For more information regarding the traditional Jab Jab experience, see Jambalasee Grenada on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Know Your Caribbean (@knowyourcaribbean)

Carnival Monday -Pretty Mas

Carnival Monday starts around mid-day on Monday as J’ouvert “ends” and well into the evening/night hours. Slated as a day to “free up yourself” and wear what you want. Oro gave us complimentary Monday wear options – what I liked was that there seemed to be options for different body types. We started this parade around 4pm and left maybe around 7pm. They fed us several times during this 3 hour period.

Monday Night Mas (after sunset to about 3amish)

Carnival bands also offer Monday Night Mas packages and apparel such as t-shirts, light accessories and more depending on the band. I played with Oro’s Electrick Monday night Mas Band & we had a timeeeeeee (not exaggerating)! I want to say for 2025 and for the long day that is Monday – this was my favorite event for the day.

@bahamianista Put d JAB JAB on a payroll because I here wukking overtime for 24 hours with @ORO LUXURY CARNIVAL GRENADA #spicemas2025 #spicemas #grenada #thingstodoingrenada #carnivalcostume #carnivaltiktok ♬ Payroll – Muddy

Carnival Tuesday (late morning/midday to evening/night)

Masqueraders meet up on the route to play mas all day and it’s a combination of modern carnival and revellers to Jab Jab and traditional mas players like the ShortKnee. It’s paaaaaaaace so just be ready. We started around 3pm and headed to the route via complimentary shuttle from the Radisson. I got my makeup done by JAC Beauties which lasted all day thankfully. Oro did have some amenities that I really enjoyed (like an AC Bus) and they fed us during the route and after. However, they do have room for improvement such as making sure there’s a wee wee truck on the road for masqueraders or having an extended liquor list including Grenadian liquors. I also do think that they can ease off the Trinidad soca and play more Grenadian soca. But to the merit, I’ll have to say they had two different music trucks with 2 different vibes. The second music truck prioritized mostly “small island” music from Grenadian music, soca from Saint Lucia, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and more islands.

@bahamianista FUN & FED @ORO LUXURY CARNIVAL GRENADA – literally can’t feel my feet #spicemas #grenada #carnivaltiktok ♬ original sound – chollo.868

Things To Do In Grenada During Spice Mas

Here’s a few local recommendations and places for sightseeing/day trips that I’ve been eyeing for my next Spice Mas.

Day Trip To Carricou
- For the day trip you can catch the Osprey Lines Ferry boat/ferry service
Annandale Waterfall
Grand Etang National Park
Rum & Chocolate Tour
Underwater Sculpture Park
Water Tubing Excursion
Belmont Estate

Things To Eat In Grenada

While Grenada does boast of an amazing culinary scene, locally it’s recommended to try OilDown – a dish reminiscent of a stew of salted meat, vegetables and spices. Grenadians also do different types of souses such as crawfish souse – check out this video here for more on an authentic Grenadian food tour.

(2025) I used the KariBites App to order food from restaurants which is similar to like an Uber Eats. I primarily frequented the Secret Harbour Restaurant for breakfast and they served both continental and some Grenadian favorites (depending on the day).

Til next time,