The St. Maarten event is a bit different from other Caribbean carnivals. The local event is one of the longest. During the 12 days of the festivities, enthusiasts can witness and participate in parades, "jump-ups" and concerts and enjoy local cuisine. A "Carnival Village" is set-up with 100 row-house-style booths that serve drinks and food. These booths surround a huge stage that has nightly performances by local and international musicians.

"These performances attract tens of thousands of islanders and tourists. Night after night they move to the rhythms of calypso, reggae, dance hall, R&B, Zouk and merengue while enjoying local specialties such as Johnny cakes, salt fish, conch soup, dumplings and of course the traditional chicken legs and spare ribs," explained Labega.

Carnival begins officially with the opening jump-up, which is called the Balloon Jump-up. During this event, local bands warm up to compete in the road-march competition with the objective of trying to gather as many revelers as possible. One of these individuals will be crowned the road-march king of the year.

The most anticipated and most enduring jump-up is the Jouvert Jump-up. Following the traditional Latin night, the Jouvert Jump-up will take place on April 29. Participants will join the bands at 4 a.m. for their most prestigious Around the Salt Pond Jump-up competition. As many as 10,000 people yearly follow their band of choice, dancing, singing and winding until they finally arrive at the Carnival Village seven hours later. One could describe the whole event as "a non-stop music festival on wheels watched by as many viewers as participants," said Labega.

After the Jouvert Jump-up, the Grand Parade begins the next morning. Participants are dressed in fancy, colorful and daring costumes, which took thousands of hours to create. The revelers start "moving to the beat" through the streets of St. Maarten. A dazzling array of colors and tunes provide spectators with a spectacular show that culminates in the center of Philipsburg before ending the day at the Carnival Village.

The Last Lap is the chance for participants and spectators to enjoy the feel of carnival. This is also the last chance for the bands to prove who is best. At the end of this final parade, prizes are awarded and at the same moment a life-size "King Momo" is burned. This final event symbolizes that all sins from the past year are forgiven and that the carnival celebrations have come to an end - until next year!