In depth · Christmas & New Year
Christmas in St Lucia: the Festival of Lights, the ARC and New Year in the Caribbean
St Lucia has a festival of light all its own. As the ARC yachts sail into Rodney Bay after crossing the Atlantic, Castries fills with lanterns for the Feast of St Lucy, the island’s patron saint, on 13 December, and the season rolls on to Christmas and New Year under the Pitons.
Updated October 2026
National Day and the Festival of Lights
The island is named after St Lucy, whose feast on 13 December is the island’s National Day. On the evening before, the Festival of Lights and Renewal heralds the Christmas season: Castries is strung with lights, families, schools and artists compete in the lantern competition, and a procession of lanterns winds around Derek Walcott Square before fireworks close the night. In 2026 National Day falls on a Sunday, with the public holiday on Monday 14 December.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Gene93k · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe ARC arrives in Rodney Bay
Every November the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers sets off from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for Rodney Bay, some 2,700 nautical miles away. The 2026 rally starts on 22 November, and through December the marina fills with yachts arriving after the crossing, each greeted on the dock, before the prize-giving on 19 December, according to the organisers, the World Cruising Club.
Christmas and New Year
Christmas in St Lucia is a time for church, family and food, followed by Boxing Day on the beach. The resorts around the Pitons, Marigot Bay and Cap Estate host festive dinners and New Year’s Eve parties with fireworks over the sea.
Our advice: December is the start of the dry high season, and the Christmas fortnight is the busiest of the year. Book villas, flights and restaurant tables early.
New Year’s Eve
Every date we could confirm on the organisers’ and churches’ own pages, with how to book.
New Year’s Eve 2026 in St Lucia
Questions and answers
When is National Day in St Lucia?
On 13 December, the Feast of St Lucy. In 2026 the public holiday is on Monday 14 December.
What is the Festival of Lights?
The lantern festival in Castries on the eve of National Day, which heralds the Christmas season.
When do the ARC yachts arrive in St Lucia?
Through December; the 2026 rally starts on 22 November and its prize-giving is on 19 December.
Join the conversation
Spent Christmas in St Lucia? Share your favourite lantern, beach or New Year spot.
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Where 2026 dates are not yet published we describe the tradition only. Dates are from official and organisers’ sites, read in October 2026; check them before you travel.