Carnival In Jamaica Is The Gift That Keeps Giving

Paint splashing, waist moving, rum drinking. Soca music blasting through sound systems, smiles everywhere, sun shining. People of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds all gathered in Kingston, Jamaica, to celebrate carnival. As a Black Brit, I thought that I had mastered carnival after being an avid attendee of Notting Hill Carnival. My first Notting Hill Carnival was at the tender age of 2.

It wasn’t until I was an early adult that I made my own memories with the infamous British Caribbean street party. Since then, it’s been a yearly tradition to make my way to Notting Hill during the August bank holiday weekend.

History of Carnival

I’ve always known that carnival is bigger than just a party. It’s emancipation. The birthplace of carnival is Trinidad in the late 18th century. The French colonizers introduced masquerade balls to the island, but enslaved Africans were banned from attending. When slavery was abolished, the enslaved Africans marked the moment with a celebration: carnival.

Eventually, carnival spread across the Caribbean to Islands including Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Bermuda, and, eventually, Jamaica. Carnival was introduced to Jamaica in 1990 by Bandleader, producer, and Jamaican musical artist Byron Lee. It was first described as the annual Byron Lee Jamaica Carnival, held in Kingston, as reported by Pitchfork.

Hurricane Melissa

The past year for Jamaica has not been one without struggle. When Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, it was the strongest hurricane to hit the island on record. It made landfall on Oct. 28, 2025, near New Hope, Westmoreland, Jamaica, with sustained 185 miles per hour winds and a central pressure of 892mb. Approximately 190,000 homes were damaged by Hurricane Melissa, with nearly 24,000 destroyed, according to a Government of Jamaica assessment.

Whilst the country is still trying to recover, several families are struggling to find permanent accommodation, have poor diets, and are generally struggling to get back on their feet, as per Relief Web.

But none of this has tainted the spirit of Jamaicans. In fact, you wouldn’t believe that Jamaica had been hit by such a strong hurricane when you were on the roads. So, what actually happened during the Jamaica Carnival?

A breakdown of carnival:

Thursday

When I was given my itinerary for the week, I panicked slightly. I am a resident party girl, but I doubted whether I had the stamina to party nonstop for several days. However, Jamaica helped me find the strength to party non-stop. Our first fete started off strong. We headed to RYTZ to watch Kes The Band headline.

Kes’ discography speaks for itself, with popular songs including Wotless, Ah Ting, and Rum & Coca-Cola. His performance was a snippet into the week ahead and an embodiment of why people celebrate carnival.

The party didn’t stop there. In the evening, the vibes continued for I Love Soca where the king of Soca, Machel Montana, took to the stage.

Friday

Knowing we had a busy weekend ahead of us. Friday was a well-needed rest day. The morning was spent at Tuff Gang Studio, one of the largest audio recording facilities in the Caribbean. The studio was founded by Bob Marley and the Marley family.

For lunch, we headed to Pretty Close 876 for food by the waterfalls. Then it was off to Prince DBruce Perfumery, where we taught how to make our own scents. We made sure to have an early night because we had an early start the next morning…

Saturday

I wake up at 3:30 am. I was tempted to hit the snooze button, but I could not miss what was waiting for me.

I jolted out of bed and got ready for jouvert. All of my Caribbean friends and fellow carnival goers have always spoken about the spiritual aspect of Jouvert. Admittedly, I thought it was a slight exaggeration, but boy, was I wrong.

Dancing to soca music until the sun rises with people from across the globe was an experience I can’t describe. It felt like resistance, like joy, like unity. Everyone came together to celebrate the resistance and power of the ancestors who came before us. It’s a day I will never forget.

After we washed the paint off our bodies. We had another party waiting for us: Sunrise Breakfast party. The girls and the boys were dressed to the nines, all ready to take to the streets again tomorrow.

Sunday

It was another early start. The call time for our makeup slots was 5:00 am. Eventually, we headed out for the road where we were playing with Gen X. As soon as we touched the road, you could feel the joy in the air.

After a few hours of partying in the morning, we stopped for lunch in the VIP section, where we could get a massage (I definitely did!). Then, it was back out to the road for the final stretch.

Monday

One more party. Just one party. At this point, I think my body was crying for rest. But the beach party at Maiden Cay Island was the perfect send-off. As I write this, my body is still recovering from the week, but if I could do it all again. You don’t typically associate Jamaica with carnival the way you do with other islands like Barbados or Grenada. But, don’t dismiss carnival in Jamaica, it was an experience I would do every single year.