St. Eustatius officials have agreed to stage Carnival 2021, although the event will be held under strict local conditions and guidelines.
One of the main conditions is that Carnival will be a local affair showcasing local artists only. Besides that the event will be scaled down from ten to seven days.
The public entity said carnival’s staging between July 26 and August 1 is contingent on Statia maintaining its coronavirus (COVID-19) free status.
Anyone seeking to visit the island during the summer holiday period is asked to send their exact travel dates to info.covid19@statiagov.com. Visiting Statia only for the carnival will not be possible. Vaccinated persons will have a five day period after arrival during which they are not allowed to attend events, and visitors that have not had the vaccine will have to go through a full quarantine period.
Stakeholders of the event will continue working on refining a Carnival strategy to ensure that all the safety procedures are in place at the Lion’s Den, the venue for Carnival. In addition to the safety regulations, focus will be placed on implementing strict hygiene measures and protocols. Hand sanitizing stations and additional toilet facilities will be put in place. Besides that there will be an extra strict control on all quarantine locations.
“The success of Carnival 2021 depends on how well we as a Statian community work together to maintain our island COVID free. It has been a long year and together let us share this responsibility in order to restore normal life. As a Carnival Committee, in close collaboration with our key partners, we are up to the task”, says Marlon Hook, President of St. Eustatius Carnival Committee.
If you are thinking of taking time off to visit St. Eustatius for the summer and Carnival, make sure to check the government website for updates about the island’s situation: https://www.statiagovernment.com/
Stay Eustatius can assist you in planning your trip, finding accommodation and arranging your quarantine. Check our “tourist” page to find out what we can do for you: https://stayeustatius.com/for-tourists/