Carnival 73 calendar brings major changes and a more compact season

ORANJESTAD — The calendar presented for Carnival 73 brings several notable changes compared with Carnival 72. It is not just a matter of different dates: some major events have moved completely within the season, musical competitions have shifted from January to November, several traditional activities no longer appear under the same name, and the final stretch of Carnival has become considerably more compact. Some of the changes had already been viewed as dramatic and have generated reactions.

COMPARISON

Noticiacla compared the new Carnival 73 calendar with the program published for Carnival 72. The 2026 calendar contained 35 entries between the opening of Carnival and Ash Wednesday. The new program also includes 35 main activities or dates, but the composition and distribution have changed significantly.

One of the biggest changes concerns Caiso and Soca Monarch. During Carnival 72, the pre-finals were scheduled for January 19, 20 and 21, with the final on January 31. For Carnival 73, the pre-finals now form part of the opening phase of the season: November 11 and 12, 2026, followed by a Calypso Showdown on November 13. The Caiso and Soca Monarch final remains scheduled for January 23. This means the adult music competition will begin more than two months earlier than in previous years.

The youth program also changes considerably. Carnival 72 featured the Children’s and Youth Calypso and Roadmarch competition on January 9 and the Children’s and Youth Tumba Festival on January 16. In the new calendar, both activities move completely to November: the Children’s and Youth Tumba Festival to November 20 and the Children’s and Youth Calypso and Roadmarch competition to November 21.

Another striking change is Caya Paden. In the Carnival 72 calendar, Caya Paden was held on November 21, practically at the start of the season. For Carnival 73, the event appears on February 5, just one day before the Grand Carnival Parade in San Nicolas and two days before the Grand Carnival Parade in Oranjestad. This is one of the most drastic changes in the entire program.

The Flambeu Parade also moves. In 2026 it took place on January 3; Carnival 73 schedules Flambeu for January 9. The queen elections have also been reorganized. Last season, the Youth Queen and Mrs. Carnival elections took place on January 10, with the Children’s Queen and Grand Queen elections on January 11. This time, Children’s Queen #50 and Youth Queen #62 are combined on January 15, while Grand Queen #73 and Mrs. Carnival #31 are scheduled separately for January 21.

A completely new entry in the published calendar is “Transfer of Command,” scheduled for January 24. The Oranjestad Children’s Parade is also scheduled for that same date.

There are also activities that appeared in Carnival 72 but no longer appear under the same name in the Carnival 73 program. These include Night of the Hit Makers, Betico Night and the North International Sunset Parade. The latter, held in Noord on February 4, 2026, does not appear on the new calendar.

The Kiwanis Masquerade Party and Pre-Jouve Events are both scheduled for January 29. “Masquerade Parade” also appears on that date. Carnival 72 included the Masquerade Parade in Savaneta on February 7; the new calendar does not indicate whether the January 29 Masquerade Parade is the same event moved to a different date and location.

The concentration of events around the final weekend of January is another notable element. On January 29, the calendar lists five activities: two secondary-school parades, the Masquerade Parade, Kiwanis Masquerade Party and Pre-Jouve Events. One day later, January 30, Jouvert Morning and Aruba’s Grand Lighting Parade follow. On January 31, the San Nicolas Children’s Parade and the burning of Momito take place. The program therefore concentrates a large number of events within just three days.

By comparison, during Carnival 72 the two secondary-school parades were held on February 5 and 6, while now both the Oranjestad and San Nicolas editions are scheduled for January 29. Jouvert Morning and the Grand Lighting Parade, which took place on February 7, 2026, move to January 30, 2027.

The final part of Carnival 73 also takes place eight days earlier. The Lighting Parade moves from February 12 in 2026 to February 4, 2027. The Grand Carnival Parade in San Nicolas, previously held on February 14, moves to February 6, while the Grand Carnival Parade in Oranjestad shifts from February 15 to February 7. Carnival Monday falls on February 8 and Ash Wednesday on February 10, compared with February 16 and 18 respectively during Carnival 72.

This difference is mainly due to the religious calendar: Ash Wednesday falls eight days earlier in 2027, meaning the closing of Carnival also has to be brought forward. As a result, the season from November 11 to Ash Wednesday lasts approximately 91 days, compared with 99 days for Carnival 72.

In summary, Carnival 73 is not simply a copy of Carnival 72 with different dates. SMAC has moved a large part of the musical competition schedule to November, shifted Caya Paden almost to the end of the season, concentrated several events into a single weekend, reorganized the queen elections and introduced new activities, while some traditional names no longer appear in the current program.

The new calendar also marks the first season under the leadership of new SMAC president Rusette Croes, after Darren van Ommeren concluded his four-season term with Carnival 72.

For organizers, groups, musicians and the public, the biggest change will probably be the pace: Carnival 73 begins serious competition already in November and, once January arrives, the program moves at a much more concentrated rhythm toward the Grand Parade on February 7.