Panama Carnival 2023: Ultimate guide to this colorful event

Like many countries around the world, especially in Europe and Latin-America, Panama upholds the carnival tradition. This festivity has its roots in catholicism, when remaining foods and alcohol were consumed right before the start of the 40-day lent leading to Easter. The Panama carnavales may not be as famous as the legendary carnivals in Rio de Janeiro or Baranquilla, they’re still colorful and full-on fun. Here’s everything you need to know about the Panama carnival celebrations and how to make this festive event the perfect addition to your Panama City travel itinerary.


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Panama Carnival is a colorful explosion of fun. Check out when it's held, where to go and what to expect. #travel #panama #panamacity #celebrations #party #carnival #carnaval

Panama carnival 2023 dates

The 2023 carnival celebrations in Panama will take place from Friday 17th February up to and including Wednesday 22nd February. This is what the program looks like:

  • Friday 17th February: Coronation of the queen followed by outdoor dancing (evening and night).
  • Saturday 18th February – Tuesday 21st February: Getting drenched by the water trucks (around 9 a.m. in the morning). Parade with dancing groups and brass bands followed by fireworks and outdoor dancing (from 4 p.m. onwards, evening and night).
  • Wednesday 22nd February: Burrial of the Sardine (around 2 a.m., well before sunrise).
Carnival Panama is the most colorful event in Panama City Central America

Saturday is when the kids carnival parade is held (at least it is in Panama City). Monday tends to be the tamest day of Panama carnival. It’s when locals catch their breath between the weekend parties and Shrove Tuesday when the celebrations reach their peak and the parade is more extravagant. Make sure to arrive early enough in the afternoon to secure spot near the parade.

What to expect from carnival in Panama City

– Where the Panama City parade is being held

Carnaval in Panama City takes place on the Cinta Costera park, which connects the historic center of Casco Viejo with the skyscrapers in the modern district. The parades are mostly held between Avenida 3 de Noviembre, near the fish market (mercado de mariscos) and Calle 33 Este and loop anti-clockwise.

– Security checkpoint

The first thing you’ll notice when attending Panama carnival is the police presence. Before entering the festivity zone, you’ll need to pass a security check and pat-down. Men and women are split in two lines. Copies of a foreign pasport, either physical or digital, are usually accepted.
Do make sure to bring a waterproof holder for your phone and documents and watch them carefully to outsmart pickpockets.

– Water fun (morning)

The day parades feature giant water trucks (culecos) that keep the crowd cool by spraying water. But there are more water threats (mojaderas) to look out for: water balloons, hoses and even buckets all add to the fun. No need to add a water pistol to your vacation packing list, you could just as easily buy a water pistol from one of the stands and join in.

– Decorated carnival floats (late afternoon)

The Panama carnival parade features beautifully decorated floats (topones) with brass bands (tunas) and drums (tambores) playing salsa and the Carnival Queen, accompanied by two Princesses. In between the floats, you’ll see groups of dancers (called comparsas) wearing the most colorful customes and marching bands competing with those on the floats.

– Gorgeous Panama pollera dresses

The men are dressed in a montuno while the women wear a stunning Panama pollera dress, a tortoise shell comb (peineta) and sparkling, beaded hair accessories made of crystals, pearls and shells (tembleques).

Did you know that it can take around 8 months to make a Panama pollera? This gorgeous dress always features native designs such as birds, flowers and garlands on a crisp white background. The colorful wool pompons and ribbons give the pollera a festive touch. This national costume is so iconic that Panama even holds a yearly Pollera Day on 22nd July.

– Dirty devils or diablos sucios

Part of Panamanian folkore are the dirty devils (diablos sucios), with their beautifully crafted but scary masks. Centuries ago, these devils were a tool of evangelization, scaring non-Catholics into complying with Catholic religion. Back then, the devils danced until the sweat made the costume colors run off, making them look dirty. Hence, the term dirty devils. In addition, they also carried an animal bladder which served as a percussion instrument so that they smelled dirty too.

At first, our kids were too scared to even look at the diablos sucios from a distance. When she realized it was just a mask, the youngest decided that she wanted a picture with one while the eldest safely kept a distance.

– Streetfood

Don’t expect a variety of food and drinks during Panama carnaval. You’ll find some stalls with streetfood at the north-east corner of the park, mostly selling barbecued meat such as grilled chicken, chorizo sausages and hot dogs.

– Partying until dawn

Carnival in Panama means four days of dancing and partying

When the sun sets, you’ll notice that most families with kids start to leave (as did we). The music intensifies and the crowds head to one of the Cinta Costera stages featuring dj sets. The party continues in the Panama City’s bars and clubs.

– Burrial of the sardine

This funeral procession, during which costumed mourners carry a tiny coffin with a symbolic sardine, is part of Spanish heritage. It symbolizes the end of the celebrations and the start of Lent.

Where to stay for carnival in Panama City… and where not to stay

If you want to experience carnival in Panama City, then we’d highly recommend staying close to the Cinta Costera, the stretch towards the San Francisco district in particular. We stayed at the Intercontinental Miramar, which is located on a quiet part of this road and involved a 30-minute walk. Location-wise, this was a perfect choice.

Another popular place to stay in Panama City is Casco Viejo, the Old Town. It’s a gorgeous district and should be on top of your list of places to visit in Panama City. That being said, we would personally advise against staying in Casco Viejo during Panama carnival because getting there at night is not safe. Cabs are hard to come by during the festivities (the same goes for Uber) and there’s no metro to the Old Town. So, you’ll most likely need to walk, which involves crossing two neighborhoods that you should really avoid after hours: Calidonia (bordering the Mercado de Mariscos or Fish Market) and Santa Ana. The other neighborhood that’s a no-go at night is El Chorrillo, just south of Santa Ana, but that one’s not on your route.

Other cities to celebrate carnival in Panama

Panama City’s carnival celebrations are relatively new. Years ago, it was more a collection of neighbourhood parties and street events. Other cities in Panama have a decades-long carnival tradition

– Las Tablas carnival

The ultimate Panama carnival takes place in the town of Las Tablas, where the battle of the queens guarantees the most intense carnival mood. Two rival streets – Calle Arriba (Up Street) and Calle Abajo (Down Street) – each crown a queen. During the entire carnival period these queens, each with her own floats and bands, give their all to wow the crowds with a marvellous show. On the morning of Ash Wednesday, the winner is announced.

– Bocas del Toro carnival

Bocas, located along the Caribbean coast, is known as the party capital of Panama. A town with this reputation takes carnival to another level. Bocas is also the place where dirty devils carry actual whips, so make sure to behave. 🙂

– Penonomé carnival

A different kind of Panamanian carnival can be found in Penonomé. Here, the parade doesn’t take place on the streets but on the water. The floating parades creates an entirely different atmosphere, a bit tamer but just as lively, colorful and fun.

Visiting places nearby during Panama carnival

Panama carnival is considered the most important holiday period in Panama. Most locals traditionally head to other towns in the country to celebrate carnival with their family. They make it a mini-vacation, combining the Panama carnival with a visit to the beach or a national park.

This also means that roads are congested on Friday, for the exodus, and on Wednesday, when they return home. We highly recommend avoiding out-of-town activities, such as visits to the Miraflores Locks, the Rainforest Discovery Center and the Monkey Island and Indian Village, on these days. Also note that some excursions may not take place as scheduled. Our hotel concierge moved heaven and earth to find a Gamboa tour company to agree with transportation during the Panama carnival period. Then again, activities taking place in the city are usually less crowded than usual.

Have you experienced carnival in Panama before? Or is there another carnival celebration you’d recommend in Central or South America? Let us know in the comments.

Panama Carnival is a colorful explosion of fun. Check out when it's held, where to go and what to expect. #travel #panama #panamacity #celebrations #party #carnival #carnaval


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4 Comments

  1. Greg Jones

    Hi Sarah,

    Great post I enjoyed reading it and all the attention to detail you provided. I have never thought of going to Panama for Carnival but now it is on my bucket list for sure. Thanks.

    Where would suggest going to celebrate NYE 2022 in Panama City Panama?

    1. Sarah

      Hi Greg
      Happy to read you enjoyed reading my article, that means a lot. I have to admit that I’m yet to experience the end of year celebrations in Panama. However, I did do some research for you. It seems that the main celebrations are taking place at the Cinta Costera and also on the rooftop venues in Casco Viejo. Those might be good places to start. I also found this site https://www.mieventos.com/search_event where you can find some events being posted. If you make it to Panama City Panama for NYE, I’d really love to find out where you ended up spending the evening and if you’d recommend it.
      Have a magical end of year, Greg!

  2. Isabell

    Hello Sarah,
    Thank you for the detailed report..we will be in Panama City this year from February 16th, 2023 to February 19th, 2023 and are therefore lucky enough to experience the carnival in Panama City according to your blog
    but I often read on other sites that the festivities will only start on February 20th. I’m a bit confused now.. can you help me?
    Thank you 🙂 regards
    Isabell

    1. Sarah

      Hi Isabell
      That sounds like excellent timing! I just double checked my sources and can confirm that the Panama Carnival timing mentioned on my blog is correct. The dedicated Facebook page isn’t updated yet but feel free to check the following news articles on Newsroom Panama, Telemetro, again Telemetro and La Prensa.
      We won’t be there ourselves this year but the carnival celebrations take place on the same days of the week every year. So, yes, I’m confident that you’ll get to experience this colorful event during your trip.
      Oh, and I look forward to hearing all about your Panama Carnival adventures so feel free to drop by again once you’ve returned home! Have fun!
      Sarah

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