J’ouvert!

Monday marked J’ouvert in Anguilla, a day that begins with the a huge, moving dance party (‘Sunrise Street Jam’) from The Valley to Sandy Ground, where the day is completed with a massive Caribbean Beach Party. We weren’t 100% sure what Carnival actually marked. There was talk of it representing an Independence Day of sorts, but since they’re not independent that didn’t make total sense. Sunday’s church service focused on J’ouvert and enlightened us — more than an independence day, it actually represents a celebration of emancipation, rooted in old traditions of August Mondays.

August Monday

4/6 of the group.

The boys on August Monday

Hanging out with the fam.

The morning starts early, but we arrived by mid-morning to take in the sights and sounds of the day. There is no shortage of people-watching: between mesh-laden locals and questionable visitors from neighboring islands, we had plenty of entertainment from start to finish.

Boys in their Carnival shirts.

Carnival!

D. playing football with a local kiddo.

Anguilla’s August Monday celebration is allegedly one of the best in the Caribbean — boats from the island and neighboring areas tie up in Sandy Ground for the day while local musicians take the stage. Tents line the beach, serving up beer, rum and BBQ all day long. We ended up leaving at around 8:30P that evening, but the party continued on the beach until much later into the night.

Sunset.

By the time we were back at the resort, most of the casual dining spots had closed for the evening. Instead, we all cleaned up and had an amazing dinner at Straw Hat before calling it a night. For Boat Shoes and I, Tuesday would be a morning filled with wedding vendor meetings plus an afternoon of relaxation with the rest of the group.

Was anyone else in the Caribbean for Carnival?

Stay tuned for wedding planning madness in Anguilla, plus more adventures on the island.

xoxo from the Caribbean,