Carnival in Antigua celebrates freedom, creativity, and community. Masquerade troupes spend months designing and making elaborate costumes covered in feathers, sequins, and bright fabric. Each troupe picks a theme for their costume, and on parade day they dance through the streets in formation, performing to the crowds who line every pavement.
J'ouvert (say 'joo-vay') is the dawn opening of Carnival, when people take to the streets just before sunrise covered in mud, paint, or coloured powder and dance to the booming soca music from trucks loaded with giant speaker stacks. It is joyful and exuberant - a way of welcoming in the Carnival spirit.
The competitions are a huge part of Carnival's identity. The Calypso Monarch competition rewards the cleverest and most entertaining calypso singer. The Road March crowns the soca song that made the most people dance during the parade. Costumed bands compete for the best costume presentation. Winning any of these titles is a major honour.
Antiguan children grow up looking forward to Carnival all year. Schools sometimes have their own junior carnival events, and families spend Carnival together watching, dancing, and celebrating. Many Antiguans who live abroad fly home especially for Carnival - it is the event that makes the island feel most like itself.