Easter in Cayman
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Cayman Carnival Batabano 2024
Batabano is one of the biggest annual events in the Cayman Islands and is a Mardi Gras-like event featuring soca music, colourful costumes, dancing and parade.
Batabano's signature Soca music (a type of calypso music with elements of soul that often features lyrics about life or politics), is the driving force behind the carnival festivities which also features calypso bands, colourful costumes, dancing and a float parade.
Batabano - Cayman Carnival Dates
Adult Parade: Saturday 4th May 2024
Junior Parade: TBC
History
Launched in 1983 by the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, Cayman Carnival Batabano is held annually during the first week of May and is a vibrant highlight in the Island’s entertainment calendar.
The festival’s name, Batabano, is a salute to Cayman’s turtling heritage as the word batabano refers to the tracks left in the sand by sea turtles as they crawl onto the beach to nest. Finding these tracks was – and still is – a reason to celebrate!
2024 Batabano Events
Adult Parade - Saturday 4th May 2024
See the streets of Cayman come alive with a kaleidoscope of music, dance and pageantry. Find yourself a good vantage spot along the route and watch as thousands of energetic revellers dance through the streets in spectacular costumes. You’ll even spot stilt walkers, acrobats and limbo dancers all grooving to the beat of live soca music.
The Adult Street Parade will start from Public Beach and end on George Town's historic waterfront. The excitement continues with the famous Batabano Food Festival on Cardinal Avenue. Starting at 6pm is the traditional street dance known as Las' Lap with multiple stages featuring local and international DJ's performing until midnight. Admission is free to the Food Festival so bring your friends and family and join Batabano for a day of joy and festivity.
This is a fantastic afternoon of Caribbean culture not to be missed!
2024 Batabano Junior Parade - TBC
Cayman Carnival Junior Batabano is a family-friendly festival for the islands’ youth. Introduced in 2002, this colourful cultural showcase marks its anniversary this year! Junior Carnival has grown from a small program that preceded the adult parade to its very own one-day event.
The children will parade into George Town in a mass of colour, music and creativity. After the parade, the fun continues with face painting, mask decorating, snow cones and many family fun activities.
The goal of Junior Carnival Batabano is to create a safe, fun and creative environment for youth to play mas (masquerade) and to teach the art of costume making for generations to come
Cayman Carnival 2019
