The Ultimate Guide Of What To Wear To Carnival

Heading to carnival soon? Not sure what to wear to carnival, do with your hair or what makeup look will work? If you’re headed to Trinidad carnival, St. Lucia Carnival, Crop over, Sugar mas or any carnival look no further. I have you covered with looks and styles that are sure to spark inspiration for your ideal carnival fashion style. This is a must-read on what to wear to carnival all season.

Travel to where you want to go: hide

Hair

Now, this can be a little tricky. You want a style that will last through several days of heat, sweat, paint, water and whatever else imaginable but still look amazing come carnival day. No worries, I have you covered here too with styles that are low maintenance and protective.

Makeup

Carnival makeup ranges the gamut from simple to glitz and glam. Find your inspiration below.

Nails

Nails seem so simple, right? We can leave it until the last minute? But you may be surprised to learn you can get kinda creative with these tiny canvases. If you’re extra like me you match your nails to your costume. If you want to take it a step further and bring along faux nails to change as you want. Whatever you want, check these fun designs below.

Fetes

What to wear to carnival usually means what to wear to fetes. Fetes, aka parties, can take place day or night, inside or outside and range to cooler fetes to all-inclusive. But regardless of what type of fete you’re attending just know there will be drinks, dancing, and vibes so you want to make sure you are comfortable. With temperatures at a high and bodies close to each other opt for light, breathable and flowy pieces that don’t stick and are light in color. Along with to wear to carnival includes all your accessories too. Keep accessories to a minimum and shoes low as you’ll be dancing and jumping the night away. Check out these looks great for cooler, beach, boat, pool, breakfast fetes and more.

J'ouvert

Net up on our what to wear to carnival list – Dutty fete for the win. J’ouvert or alternatives are early morning street parties usually taking place around 3 am or 4 am on a day before the main event – the parade. You’ll start the morning drinking, dancing and chippin’ down the road until sunrise. There will be paint and powder maybe even mud thrown in every direction so toss-able clothing is key. Whether casual or sexy opt for clothing you won’t mind ruining and tossing out after. And shoes with amazing soles, you don’t want any slipping on the road from the paint. If possible avoid getting any new clothing for any dutty fete because it’ll more likely be a waste of money. I usually grab a pair of old shorts, tee or swimwear, sneakers or boots and a hat – simple, comfortable and ready for paint.

Insider tips:
To get paint off quickly, be sure to prep your body with gel, Vaseline or baby oil on all visible parts of your body before hitting j’ouvert. This helps for a quick clean up as the oil helps to reduce the amount of paint that gets stuck on the skin.

For hair, have fun and get creative. You can grab a cheap wig, head wrap, plastic bag, shower cap, swim cap or whatever you can think of to protect your strands.

Don’t forget those expensive phones too. Waterproof cases, thigh or waist belts are the way to go to protect your valuables and keep them dry.

Foot Wear

No matter what event, when it comes to footwear I can’t stress enough that comfort is key. Yes, you can still be cute or sexy and comfortable at the same time, I highly recommend leaving those heels and hard sole shoes at home. Look for shoes that are both comfortable and breathable with little to no heel. Shoes that allow you to jump, wine or slide all day and night.
From your makeup to fete wear you can never go wrong. Find your inspiration and get creative. Because when carnival season comes around there is absolutely nothing else like it in the world. So let’s make sure you’re good to go!

Insider tips:
For road days, size up in case of feet swelling.