What is Crop Over?
Crop Over goes back to the plantation era, when the end of the sugar-cane harvest was celebrated with music, dancing and a decorated cart bringing in the last canes. The festival faded in the 20th century and was revived in 1974.
Today the season brings the calypso contest for the title of Pic-O-De-Crop monarch, Foreday Morning Jam, a street party that starts in the small hours, and the ceremonial delivery of the last canes.
When is Crop Over? Dates for 2026 and 2027
2026
- 3 July – 4 August 2026Crop Over 2026 season
- Monday 3 August 2026Grand Kadooment Day
2027
- Monday 2 August 2027Grand Kadooment Day (first Monday of August)
Grand Kadooment Day is a public holiday on the first Monday of August. The festival's organisers publish the full season each year; it usually starts in June or early July, and the 2027 season has not been announced yet.
How people celebrate
- Calypso tents and the Pic-O-De-Crop competition.
- Foreday Morning Jam, with paint and powder, from the small hours until sunrise.
- Grand Kadooment: masquerade bands in feathers and sequins dancing through the streets to soca.
Good to know
- To dance with a Kadooment band you register and buy a costume months in advance.
- Foreday Morning Jam is messy: wear clothes you don't mind covering in paint.
- Try cou-cou and flying fish, the national dish, from the food stalls.