RSSSt Vincent’s carnival, Vincy Mas, is the main cultural event of the year and amongst the largest in the West Indies. Mas is short for masquerade and these 10-day long festivities usually begin around the first week of July, ending with the Street Parade.
| Kingstown, the capital city of the island, is the focal point of most of the celebrations. The celebrations encompass the colourful costume parades, costume bands, steel bands and the calypso, a folk dance of the Caribbeans. The street parades feature costumed bands with many sections, depicting folk and mythology scenes as well as contemporary and futuristic subjects. |  |
J’Ouverte, ole mas, children’s carnival and steel bands playing in Kingstown’s streets are the common sights during daytime while at night, the calypsonians perform in ‘tents’. Among the competitions held as a part of the carnival are the popular King and Queen contests, the steel bands competition and Miss Carnival, a beauty competition with contestants from other Caribbean countries, including a talent contest, a beauty contest and local historical dress award.
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