Carnivals are more than just a party, they’re important cultural celebrations.
From revelry in Europe to rhythms in the Caribbean, carnival season is a great way for travellers to learn more about local traditions – and have a good ole party!
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What is carnival?
Carnival is a big celebration which can last for a bunch of days, weeks or even over a month! Even if there are formal start and end dates announced for a carnival, you’ll often find unofficial partying goes on for much longer.
Carnival usually happens before Lent, the period before Easter that’s all about reflection and restraint. So before this subdued season starts – it figures that everyone goes out with a bang!
However some carnivals take place in summer – often because celebrations have evolved over time to mark important cultural moments like independence or emancipation.
The Best Carnivals to Party at in 2026
From Germany and Spain to the United States and the Caribbean, these legendary carnivals are worth making a special trip for…
1. New Orleans, USA
Carnival in New Orleans is a long, loud and colourful experience. It builds up for weeks, from early January till just before Lent, hitting its peak on Mardi Gras. The celebrations originate from French Catholicism, so you’ll find a blend of Creole, African American and Southern influences.
It’s a fun old time, as the city bursts into street parties, with lively music, larger-than-life floats and dazzling parades. There’s a ‘throw’ tradition of chucking items into the crowd – usually things like beads, trinkets and colourful coins (doubloons).
If you’re around when things kick off in January, you’ll get to try King Cake. It’s a sweet bread/cake situation with a tiny figure hidden inside – find it in your slice and it means good luck!
2. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
The Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival is huge – a flamboyant mix of Latin rhythms and dancing with ceremonial vibes. If you’ve always dreamed of Rio carnival – which we’ll get to in a sec – this is the next biggest one. And it’s a lot closer to home!
You’ve got the ‘official’ carnival with more than 100 groups of singers, actors, dancing troupes and bands. Then you’ve got the street carnival – the public party where everyone’s invited. Don’t miss the crowning of the Carnival Queen – contestants’ costumes are months in the making, and worth worth 10,000s of euros! – and check out the murgas competition, where satricial songwriters compete for the grand prize.
Everything peaks on Mardi Gras with the main parade, Gran Coso Apotesosis, followed by the Burial of the Sardine, a slightly silly ceremony the following day that’s meant to clear the excesses of carnival before Lent begins.
3. Venice Carnival, Italy
Venice’s Carnival is famous for its masks, and is surrounded by an air of mystery and elegance. The masks come from a historic tradition that let commoners and nobles mix with one another – it didn’t matter because they had total anonymity. Today they’re the most famous visual display of the carnival, with some real masterpieces by skilled artisans.
Expect Flight of the Angel, when a lady basically ziplines from the city’s most famous bell tower. It sounds a bit mad but it’s actually based on a historic acrobatic act that happened in 1500, and was so popular it’s been emulated ever since. You’ll see street performances and parades, and get to admire lots of stylish costumes. There are even masquerade balls you can go to.
If you find yourself in Venice in the run-up to carnival, head straight to a bakery for a frittela. It’s basically a little fried donut with a cream, custard or chocolate filling. My tip is to get one from Majer – they’re out of this world!
4. Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Rio’s Carnival has to be the world’s most famous party, and it’s easy to see why. The main event has got to be the samba parades at the Sambadrome, with elaborate floats, jaw-dropping costumes and thousands of dancers. These are official samba schools that have been rehearsing all year for the main event. It’s a show that violently assaults all of your senses – completely overwhelming in the best way.
Then you’ve got the street parties, or blocos, which erupt over the city and which anyone can groove to – with lots of live music and dancing. The spirit of Samba underpins everything here, so you’d better be ready to shake your tailfeathers!
5. Cologne Carnival, Germany
Karneval, Cologne’s carnival season, is a five-day extravaganza of parties and parades. Forget the Christmas Market – this is an epic celebration on a whole other level! The carnival parade dates back hundreds of years and was originally a protest against the ruling regime – so there’s a kind of unruly energy that’s still central to the shenanigans today.
The party starts to ramp up with Weiberfastnacht, or Women’s Carnival, when celebrations spill into the streets, then builds during the weekend and peaks on Rose Monday – the biggest day of revelry, complete with the main parade featuring elaborate floats and costumes.
Expect dancing, local music and lots of tongue-in-cheek mischief. Shrove Tuesday is actually when things start to calm down here, and a straw man is burned as way to carry away all the carnival mischief before Lent starts.
6. Carnival, Trinidad and Tobago
Carnival in Trinidad is one of the Caribbean’s biggest celebrations. While the main parties happen in the two days before Lent, the island starts to gear up right after Christmas – with steelpan performances, soca- and calypso-fuelled parties, and even stick-fighting competitions with drumming and chanting.
The main event kicks off with J’ouvert, a pre-dawn street party. Part of this is Jab, when you’ll see revellers covered in oil or paint, wearing hats with horns and carrying chains. It’s quite a sight, and is all about subverting perceptions from the time of slavery and celebrating what has been overcome.
Then it’s time for playing mas, which is basically masquerading – getting involved in the party. You can either join in with costumes or just soak up the atmosphere as parades and parties last all day and into the night.
7. Notting Hill Carnival, London
London’s Notting Hill Carnival in London is reportedly Europe’s biggest street festival, celebrating Caribbean culture with enormous parades, sound systems, steel bands and costumes. This is an area of London with a big Caribbean community, so it makes sense to throw down the party vibes here.
Millions of people come out onto to the streets of Notting Hill every August to have a good time – come rain or shine – dancing to the beats from the sound systems, watching the floats go past and ending up at an after party or three.
8. Spice Mas, Grenada
If you’re a seasoned party lover, then Spice Mas is going to be a bit of you.
This celebration in Grenada promises a great time. Before the main scheduled events begin, there’ll be plenty of musical performances, competitions and parties (fetes) where you can start to warm up and connect with the local energy.
On Carnival Monday – the second Monday in August – things get going with the day-break party, J’ouvert. They also do Jab Jab here, so you’ll see masqueraders daubed with oil or paint embodying resilience and freedom.
Music is a huge part of the celebrations, so expect to be moving to those soca and calyso beats from dawn till dusk. The mas continues all through Monday, with a nightime party humming with soca rhymths and neon lights, which continues into Pretty Mas on Tuesday, with lots of costumes, rhythms and energy.
Join the Celebrations at the Best Carnivals To Party at in 2026
Whether you’re shaking it to samba in Rio or exploring masked mystery in Venice, carnivals are a great way to learn about a country’s history and traditions.
Get ready to let loose, connect with local culture and throw some shapes – the memories will last long after the feathers and glitter fade!
