Sugar Mas Soars: Minister Samal Duggins transforms St Kitts and Nevis carnival into a cultural powerhouse

The highly anticipated St Kitts and Nevis national Carnival is moving in the right direction under the leadership and guidance of Minister of the Creative Economy, Samal Duggins. 

Within two years of Duggins taking the office of the Ministry, he has achieved major milestones which further enhanced the national carnival. 

The key achievements include the establishment of Sugar Mas awards, increased visibility of Sugar Mas by more than 20 percent, forged solid collaborations with government ministries, new initiatives catering to a greater cross section of stakeholders and increased prize monies and participation funds for various national events. 

The Sugar Mas Awars is an integral part of the carnival celebrations which honours individuals as well as organizations whose contributions have been significant in sustaining and shaping the vibrant legacy of National Carnival. 

As the national carnival season is approaching once again, the St Kitts and Nevis National Carnival Committee is committed to ensuring the well being and safety of all patrons. For this, the committee has collaborated with the Ministry of Health, and they are working to enforce strict adherence to general public’s health and safety standards.

While the visitors know it as the St Kitts and Nevis national carnival, it is known as ‘Sugar Mas’ among locals. 

Notably, the carnival brings visitors and locals an unmatched six weeks of fun including the Christmas as well as New Year’s holidays. Also, it is the largest event in the country which runs from November to January while celebrating the culture and history of St Kitts and Nevis.

Carnival is a period in St Kitts and Nevis where one can enjoy the action in sunset cruises, fetes, bar crawls, street celebrations as well as folklore performances. 

Some of the major events include the carnival opening, soca competitions and national calypso, national queen pageant, Mr GQ, Teen pageants, festival of lights-folklore night, all of which are leading up to the final J’ouvert that is followed by the parade of the banks on New Year’s Day as well as the last lap on January 2, 2024.