Block Party, Causeway Jump-Up to kick off Carnival 2025 pre-season

The St. Maarten Carnival development Foundation (SCDF) will host the first two events of the Carnival 2025 pre-season upcoming Friday and Saturday.

The foundation and its banking partner Republic Bank will host the Carnival Kick-Off Block party on Friday, March 14 at the bank's parking lot in Philipsburg. The event is open to the public and will feature entertainment by the Skillful Band and DJ Kilo. Food and beverages will be on sale. The event runs from 5pm until 1am.

The second event will be held on Saturday, March 15 and is the first road event of the Carnival season. The popular Causeway Jump-Up will kick-off at 8pm in Simpson Bay. The jump-up will make its way down the Simpson Bay and airport road, over the Causeway, down Union Road, Welfare Road and then end in the area of the Kim Sha Strip.

"We are excited to get Carnival activities underway. This season has been filled with much needed structural work behind the scenes. From discussions and negotiations with the government, to changes within the organization, we have been very occupied with administrative things. So to do a little fettin will be a welcome change," President of the SCDF Edwardo Radjouki said.

"Everybody is invited to come down to Republic Bank on Friday so we can start gearing up and looking forward to what we expect will be a great Carnival season," he added.

Photo Caption: The SCDF and the Police Force of St. Maarten also kicked off its mandatory inspections over the weekend for all vehicles participating in any road event for the Carnival season. Inspections will continue for the next few weeks on Saturdays only.