St. Croix Events Calendar 2026-27

If a festival is what's bringing you to St. Croix, this calendar shows what is set for the 2026-27 season and what isn't. We read each date on November 5, 2026, from the event's organizer or the island's published calendars, and we say so plainly when next year's date has not been announced.

The season's dates in short

• December 2026 is the fullest month. Wine in the Warehouse opens it on the 4th, the coconut festival follows on the 5th and 6th, boats light up Christiansted on the 12th and carnival runs December 26 to January 2.
• February 2027 brings Mardi Croix, tentatively the 6th, and AgriFest, listed for February 13 to 15.
• July 2027 has Emancipation Day on the 3rd, Frederiksted's fireworks on the 4th and Mango Melee, confirmed for Sunday the 11th.

Every date posted so far

Two monthly series also run through the season. Christiansted's Art Thursday gallery walk lands each third Thursday, November through May: November 19, December 17, then January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15 and May 20. Frederiksted's Rhythms at Sunset takes the next evening each month from January: the 15th, February 19, March 19, April 16 and May 21.

What still has no 2027 date

When we checked, these had not been announced, so here is when each last ran. Taste of St. Croix was June 11, 2026, held at Carina Bay. The St. Patrick's Day Parade marched on March 14, 2026, and normally takes the Saturday closest to the 17th. The Lionfish Derby went out of Salt River on May 23 and 24. Jump Up tends to confirm only weeks ahead, about four times a year, with the biggest near Valentine's Day. The January parades are still unconfirmed as well, even with carnival's dates set, so see the next section before you book flights around one.

How the Crucian year is built

St. Croix has two calendars running side by side. One holds the handful of days that never change. The other holds everything run by volunteers, chambers and festival committees, which can move by weeks and sometimes confirm late. Knowing which is which saves a lot of rebooking.

Winter is the loud stretch, with carnival straddling New Year and February's fair and parade close behind it. Those weeks also carry the island's highest rates, so the busiest calendar and the priciest villas arrive together. Spring swaps floats for civic days and turtle nights. Summer is the most local time of year, built around July 3 and the food festivals. From August into October the island goes green and quiet, then a November swim and a triathlon start the cycle again.

That pattern gives you a simple way to choose. Pick your event first if the event is the trip. Pick your week first if it isn't, then see what falls inside it on the table above.

Dates that stay put, and dates that move

You can book against these years ahead: January 6, March 31, July 3 and July 4. Friendship Day and Thanksgiving move, but by a rule anyone can work out, the second Monday of October and the fourth Thursday of November.

Everything else gets set fresh. Mardi Croix follows Fat Tuesday, so it shifts with Easter, sometimes as early as the first week of February and sometimes into March. The festivals division sets carnival each year. Jump Up can surface just two weeks out, so nobody abroad can plan on one in particular. When the date is what matters, widen the trip by a few days. A long February stay will catch both Mardi Croix and AgriFest under almost any schedule.

Carnival: December 26 to January 2

The Division of Festivals and the Department of Tourism have fixed carnival proper, the Crucian Christmas Festival, as an eight-day run ending January 2. Its early shows start well before that. The island's calendar lists the Prince and Princess Pageant on December 5, the Junior Calypso Show on the 6th and the Miss St. Croix Pageant on the 13th.

Plan around one point first-timers often miss: the village and parades belong to Frederiksted on the west end, far from Christiansted. Last season's two parades closed the festival on its final days, and this season's times had not been posted on November 5, so don't lock a one-night trip to a parade until the schedule comes out. January 6, Three Kings Day, is the traditional close of the season.

Our December and January month pages cover weather and how the island feels at that time.

Early December: wine, coconuts and boats

Wine in the Warehouse headlines this year's St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, Friday, December 4, at 6 p.m. in a hangar at Bohlke International Aviation. Tickets sell through the event's own site. The same evening, St. George Village Botanical Garden switches on Garden of Lights for its Friday-to-Sunday run through January 3. Our garden page explains the grounds.

The Crucian Coconut Festival fills the weekend of December 5 and 6. Then comes the night Christiansted's boardwalk fills up: the Christmas Boat Parade, Saturday, December 12, at 6 p.m., with the boardwalk as the best free seat on the island. A week later, the Coquito Festival pours on December 19 from noon.

November 2026

Three events ease the island out of its quiet months. Swimmers start the Coral Reef Swim at 6 a.m. on Sunday, November 8. Strand Street in Frederiksted holds its Serenade from noon on the 21st, and the Beauty + the Beast Triathlon goes off at 7 a.m. on the 29th, finishing with lunch and drinks for the racers. Thanksgiving is the 26th, and a downtown Jump Up has traditionally followed on the Friday; watch for confirmation. See St. Croix in November.

January to March 2027

The new year opens with carnival's end. After that, the Scenic 50 road race sets off on January 17, and Art Thursday and Rhythms at Sunset give you a dependable night out in each town.

February carries the most weight. Mardi Croix, by its usual rule the Saturday before Fat Tuesday, points to February 6, but its organizers call that date tentative. AgriFest reaches its 55th edition over Presidents' Day weekend, February 13 to 15 on the listing we read, at the fairgrounds in Estate Lower Love. Check again nearer the time, since one island source still calls it unconfirmed and last year's fair fell on February 14 through 16. Villas fill early for this stretch, so read St. Croix in February and pick a week that spans both.

In March, Christiansted's St. Patrick's parade has marched since 1969, though its 2027 date is not out. Transfer Day stays fixed on March 31, the day in 1917 the islands passed from Denmark to the United States; the history page tells that story.

April to June 2027

Leatherbacks begin nesting about March, and the wildlife refuge at Sandy Point stays shut from April through August to protect them. Guided nights run through the turtle watch programs, and the Sandy Point page explains access. Spring otherwise runs on food and fish rather than crowds. Lionfish hunters and Taste of St. Croix diners should watch for dates; see the Taste page and the month pages for April, May and June.

July 2027

The heart of the Crucian summer falls in one week. Emancipation Day on Saturday, July 3 remembers General Buddhoe's 1848 uprising, which forced an end to slavery under Denmark. Frederiksted's waterfront then hosts Fourth of July fireworks over the pier on Sunday. Mango Melee follows on Sunday, July 11, at the botanical garden, and its organizers have already confirmed that date, a rare summer event you can book a year ahead. See St. Croix in July.

August to October 2027

Very little happens on a fixed date in these months, and that is the appeal. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts June through November and is busiest in August and September, so look at flexible cancellation and read our hurricane page. Sandy Point reopens weekends on September 1, and Friendship Day, the second Monday of October, falls on the 11th in 2027. Rates sit near their yearly low. Use the pages for August, September and October.

The regulars through the year

• Jump Up. Christiansted's merchants close the streets about four times a year for pan bands, food stalls and mocko jumbies. Read our Jump Up page for how to find the next one.
• Rhythms at Sunset. Free live music comes to Veterans Memorial Park in Frederiksted, staged by Our Town Frederiksted, around 6 to 9 p.m.
• Art Thursday. Galleries in the old town open together for an evening walk that pairs well with dinner nearby.
• Farmers markets. Island produce shows up at spots such as Southgate Corner, and our provisioning page says where and when.
• Distillery nights. Rum and spirits makers keep their own tour schedules, which gives you a steady plan in any month; start from our food page.

What you'll see at any island gathering

Three traditions appear at nearly every big event, and spotting them makes a festival far more fun. Mocko jumbies, the stilt dancers with roots in West African masquerade, lead carnival parades and work the Jump Up crowds, and each generation learns from the last. Quelbe is the official folk music of the territory since 2003, played by scratch bands on a scraped gourd, a steel triangle and a flute, often with lyrics poking at local news. Quadrille, a formal figure dance kept since Danish times, comes out on Emancipation Day and at cultural nights. All three get a fuller telling on our mocko jumbies and quelbe page, and the snacks you'll eat while watching are on the paté and johnny cakes page.

Booking a villa around an event

Choose your base by which town the event belongs to. Frederiksted has carnival, Emancipation Day and the fireworks, and Sunset Sea-Clusion sits right in town, so you can walk home after a late night. Christiansted has the boat parade, Jump Up and Art Thursday, which suits our East End homes such as The Cerulean, a short drive from downtown. Our best time to visit post weighs the months against each other, and every home with its live dates and prices is on our villas page. Rental cars run out in carnival and February weeks too, rideshare doesn't exist here and cars keep left, so reserve yours along with the house; see our car rental page. Around July 3 and 4, stock up on groceries first, since stores can keep short hours on both days. Confirm any single date with its organizer before booking flights.

For one good event without winter prices, look at the shoulder months. November has the swim and the triathlon before rates start to climb. Late spring usually brings the Lionfish Derby and Taste of St. Croix. You will have more villas to choose from in those weeks.

Questions guests ask

What are the 2026-27 carnival dates?

Eight days ending January 2, in Frederiksted, with pageants and shows from early December. The Division of Festivals had not printed this season's parade times when we looked.

When is AgriFest in 2027?

The island calendar lists February 13 to 15, the Presidents' Day weekend, for the 55th fair at Estate Lower Love. Another listing still calls those dates unconfirmed, so check before booking around it.

When is Mango Melee in 2027?

Sunday, July 11, 2027, at the botanical garden in St. George Village. The organizers have confirmed that one.

When is the St. Croix boat parade?

Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 6 p.m. in Christiansted harbor. Next year's date will follow the usual early-to-mid December pattern.

Which dates never move?

January 6 for Three Kings Day, March 31 for Transfer Day, July 3 for Emancipation Day, and July 4. Friendship Day and Thanksgiving follow a set rule, so you can work those out years ahead.

What lead time do event weeks need?

Christmas and New Year's weeks sell first; a year out is not too early for one specific villa. February is next. Summer and fall events give you far more room.