Culturama, Nevis's summer festival

Every summer Nevis throws its own festival, and it's older than you might guess. Culturama began in 1974, and it runs for about ten days to two weeks from late July into early August, built around Emancipation Day on August Monday.

How it started

In February 1974, the Nevis Dramatic and Cultural Society (NEDACS) was worried that the island's customs, music and folk arts were fading. That August, over the Emancipation weekend, it held the first Culturama at Charlestown Secondary School. The programme had a calypso contest, a culture talent show and a food fair. In 1990 the Nevis Island Administration took the festival on to secure its future.

What happens

The programme changes from year to year, but these are its fixtures:

• The Emancipation J'ouvert: the early-morning street jump-up for Emancipation Day
• The Senior Calypso Monarch: one of the original 1974 contests, still running
• Ms. Culture Queen: the festival's main pageant, alongside other shows
• The street parade: troupes and bands through Charlestown, near the end of the festival

Most of the stage shows are at the Cultural Complex in Charlestown, the main venue since 1984.

Dates

Culturama 52 was set for 23 July to 4 August 2026. The dates and full programme for the next Culturama are usually announced early in the year. Watch the Nevis Tourism Authority and the Culturama Secretariat.

Coming from St. Kitts

The passenger ferry runs between Basseterre and Charlestown, so it lands you in the festival's home town. St. Kitts' own carnival, Sugar Mas, runs over Christmas and New Year.

Photo: Approaching Charlestown on Nevis - Nevis Peak in the distance by David Broad, CC BY 3.0.