Even Carnival is celebrated twice on our dual nation island! The French side follows the historical catholic carnival schedule (as do other famous carnival destinations such as Rio de Janeiro and Trinidad). The celebrations are not as extensive as on the Dutch side, but set during the month of February during the height of tourist season and they set the mood for the three week long party following in May on Dutch Sint Maarten.

Here, the carnival season is opened with a first Jump Up: huge flat-bed trucks with massive speakers mounted gather at the starting point, a crowd of thousands of followers gathers around 3 PM and the Jump Up starts. The slowly moving trucks lead the dancing masses along the island's main roads until the sun comes up.