Martinique holidays

Carnival season in Martinique isn't just a day or two, a matter of fact it's four days and nights of non-stop celebration! This season starts just before the beginning of Lent from Sunday to Ash Wednesday and practically the entire island gets involved.

Everything during this time is closed. So make sure you don’t get caught out waiting for restaurants or shops to open... There's always delicious street food available at the Carnival!

The first day of the celebration is Fat Sunday. There's a musical procession that includes carrying an effigy of King Vaval (King of Carnival) and puppets called Bwa Bwa. Watch out for the Neg Gwo Siwo who parade around blacked up with oil scaring the crowd as part of the festivities.

On Fat Monday there are burlesque mock weddings where men dress as floosies or pregnant brides, while women dress as unwilling grooms being dragged down the aisle.

Shrove Tuesday is very family-friendly and is often seen as a kids day. Referred to as Red Devils Day, the participants wear intricate red devil costumes covered in mirrors and bells as they dance and parade through town.

If you have any energy left then there's one more day of Carnival on Ash Wednesday. Everyone wears the traditional funeral colours of Martinique to mourn the end of Carnival and the death of King Vaval. After plenty of rum drinking and dancing the end is marked by burning King Vavals effigy on a funeral pyre.

The folk music that originates in Martinique heavily stems from the enslaved people on plantations. Bele and Chouval Bwa are two folk genres. Both use the instrument bele which is a type of drum.

Pop music in this region originates from folk music. The bele and tibwa are used often but there's a heavy French influence with clarinets and trombones. For example, biguine fused Bele and 19th-century French dances, which became a hugely popular genre in the 1960s.

Kompas brought by immigrants became big in Martinique in the 70s and helped to form the native Zouk genre. A fast tempo genre that used heavy synthesizers and a rhythm driven by percussion. Usually, music from this island is very upbeat and great for parties. Don't forget to pack your dancing shoes for your holiday!

The food here, like the rest of the Caribbean, is a fusion of cultures. French from the colonists; south Asian from indentured labourers and African from the enslaved people. This fusion has created the basis for creole food culture.

Parsley, garlic, onion, thyme and habanero chillies are huge players in many dishes here so plenty of their food has a spicy kick to it. There is also a strong seafood presence with crabs, lobster, conch, sea urchin and octopus popping up frequently in the cuisine. Martinique is quite unique, as many of the other Caribbean islands don’t use these types of fish in their cooking. The national dish of Martinique is grilled Snapper with creole sauce so it's clear they love seafood.

Colombo powder is a major seasoning in Martinique, which combines: chilli, cumin, coriander, black pepper and toasted rice to form a type of curry powder often used to cook meat. Its name hails from Colombo in Sri Lanka where the Asian immigrants who brought these spices came from.

Much like the rest of the Caribbean, rum is a big deal in Martinique. With 11 different distilleries, it's a big part of life. Martinique differs from most of the islands as they make a type named Rhum Agricole. This is made from pure sugar cane juice rather than sugar cane products such as molasses which most rums are made from.

If you'd like to try this rum, you won't have to look very far. In fact, the national drink of Martinique, named Ti Punch, is made from aged Rhum Agricole. Lime and sugar cane syrup is added to create a sweet fresh and crisp cocktail that is worth trying.

If you're looking for non-alcoholic beverages, then tropical fruit juices made from local produce like soursop or guava are very common.

Martinique is big on sports. One of the most popular sports is football. In fact, some of the most famous French football players are from here like Thierry Henry and Raphaël Varane.

If you love watching sports, then you'll be excited to know that there is a Tour de Martinique. A cycling race modelled after the Tour de France and just like that race, this is a big deal in Martinique. Every July, swathes of spectators line the roads to cheer on these cyclists and it’s a fun atmosphere.

As fishing and sea ventures are a huge part of the Martinican culture, the Yole boat race festival in July is a huge event that takes place every year. The boats are decorated colourfully in traditional fishing boat styles. Different towns and foreign competitors race against each other while they are cheered on by thousands of spectators.

Martinique is a haven for all our fellow shopaholics. The best shopping destinations in the Caribbean are on this island as you can not only get a wealth of local goods, but also luxury goods from France.

La Galleria in Le Lamentin is a massive shopping centre that combines shops and restaurants with a bustling supermarket. There are 69 different stores selling a wonderful choice of French goods.

Genipa in Ducos is another big shopping centre in Martinique. Enjoy luxury French brands such as Lacoste and L’Occitane. If you want high-quality products then this is the place to visit.

If you are after local artisanal crafts, then the town Les Trois-Îlets is for you. Village de la Poterie lets you view the making of indigenous style pottery and you can also buy local traditional jewellery and clothing.