Festivals
Carnival
Carnival is held before Lent, on Mardi Gras and Ash Wed.
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The Festival of Gustavia
The Festival of Gustavia is 20 August, with dragnet fishing contests, dances and parties, while 24 August is the day of the island’s patron saint, St-Barthélémy, when the church bells ring, boats are blessed and there are regattas, fireworks and a public ball.
Feast of St Louis & Fete du Vent
On 25 August the Feast of St Louis is celebrated in the village of Corossol, with a fishing festival, petanque, belote, dancing and fireworks. In the last week of July the northern villages hold special events. Fete du Vent is held in Lorient on 26-27 August with dragnet fishing contests, dancing, lottery and fireworks.
St Barts regatta
The St Barts regatta in February is the main event for sailors. Other regattas should be checked at Lou Lou’s Marine Shop, Gustavia, because none is fixed annually. Every other year in May there is a transatlantic sailboat race from Brittany in France to St-Barts. The local traditional sailboats participate on all public events with their own regattas like Bastille Day, Gustavia Day and one regatta a month.
Music festival
A music festival is held annually in January with 2 weeks of classical, folk, jazz music and ballet performed by both local school children and guest artistes and musicians from abroad in Gustavia and Lorient churches.
Others
A gourmet festival is held in April, and an International Art exhibition in December. On the last weekend in April is the St-Barth Festival of Caribbean Cinema, a small, informal festival for filmmakers throughout the Caribbean. All films are shown in their original language (with French subtitles).
Public Holidays
New Year’s Day; Easter Sunday and Easter Monday; Labour Day on 1 May; Ascension Day; Whit Monday; 8 May VE Day; 27 May Slavery Abolition Day; National/Bastille Day on 14 July; Schoelcher Day on 21 July; Assumption Day in August; All Saints Day on 1 November; All Souls Day on 2 November Armistice Day on 11 November and Christmas Day.
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