The Carnival in Guadeloupe
Carnival is an annual festive and cultural event that takes place over about two months, from the first Sunday in January to Ash Wednesday. Every Sunday, the carnival takes place in one or more towns. On Shrove Sunday, the big parade always takes place in Pointe-à-Pitre and Shrove Tuesday in Basse-Terre.
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Costumes, choreographies and music: everything is ready for the launch of the traditional carnival of the Guadeloupe Islands! For two months of festivities, the entire archipelago comes alive to the wild rhythms of drums, chachas, whistles and other instruments specific to carnival parades. Lovers of festive gatherings, we take you to discover this highlight of the Antilles.
Rhinestones and glitter
Created at the initiative of the colonists in the 17th century, the carnival of the Guadeloupe Islands is today a real moment of cohesion throughout the archipelago.
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Formed into different groups that parade in front of the amazed public, dancers and musicians share the parade in a festive face-to-face illustrating the diversity of the archipelago's population.
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Young and old have been preparing this long-standing celebration, in a warm and festive atmosphere.
© CTIG - Guillaume Aricique
Back to traditions
Among these groups, we note the presence of the "Gwoup a pò" who have become an essential figure of the carnival of the Guadeloupe Islands.
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Born in the 1980s with the group Akiyo, they claim a return to Guadeloupean culture. Far from glitter and rhinestones, the "Gwoup a pò" make their costumes and instruments from natural or recycled materials. Great success for these traditional groups!
© CTIG - Salika Ismaël - 2016/2017
Enter the dance
Whether in Pointe-à-Pitre, Basse-Terre or Grand-Bourg in Marie-Galante, many parades with shimmering costumes and exuberant masks will delight young and old alike, lulled by the rhythm of drums, percussion and songs.
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Drums are the essential instruments in the carnival parades in Guadeloupe. Whether they are goat skin drums or simple plastic drums, the percussion instruments are designed to chase away evil spirits...
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The islands of Guadeloupe also offer the chance to discover so-called "snare drum" groups that use more modern instruments: trumpets, saxophones, "snare drums" or triangles. They liven up the parade with their joyful and rhythmic music!
© CTIG - Guillaume Aricique
Discover more
To know more, please visit the site Officiel de l'Agence Nationale du Tourisme.