Calendar / Mashramani
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Mashramani
Feb 23, 2027ExpectedMashramani 2027
Organized by Guyana Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, which publishes the official dates and program.
Dates & details verified against: National tourism board ↗
Why go
Mashramani is Guyana turning its independence into a street party. Held every 23 February to mark the day the country became a republic in 1970, Mash, as everyone calls it, is a Caribbean carnival with a Guyanese accent: a day-long parade of costume bands, towering floats and music trucks winding through central Georgetown, powered by soca, calypso, chutney and the national obsession with the steel pan. The word is Amerindian, taken to mean a celebration after cooperative hard work, and the season around it fills February with calypso and soca monarch contests, a children's parade, a masquerade tradition of flouncers and mother sallies, and cook-ups across the city. It is participatory rather than a show for tourists: you pick a spot along the route, or join a band, and move with the crowd. For a country that spends most of the year pointing visitors at the rainforest, Mash is the one time the capital itself is the reason to come.
When it runs
Held every year on 23 February, Guyana's Republic Day, with a month of costume, calypso, chutney and steel-pan competitions building to the big float-and-costume parade through Georgetown. The 2026 parade ran on 23 February; Mashramani returns on 23 February 2027.
- Feb 23, 2027ExpectedMashramani 2027
- Ran Feb 23, 2026Mashramani 2026
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
What to expect
The centrepiece Costume and Float Parade falls on Republic Day, 23 February, with competitions and smaller events running through the first three weeks of the month. Georgetown is hot and the parade is long, so bring sun cover, water and patience for road closures and dense crowds. Hotels in the city book up well ahead for the date, and prices rise, so reserve early. The dates are fixed to 23 February each year, unlike the many Guyanese festivals that move with the moon.
Getting there & around
Everything centres on Georgetown, an hour north of the international airport at Timehri. The parade route runs through the central wards and streets close for the day, so walking is the way to move; taxis are the safest option after dark. There is nothing to book for the parade itself, which is free and public, though grandstand seating along the route is sometimes sold. Combine it with the city's museums and colonial architecture, or bolt a Kaieteur day flight onto the trip.
Where it happens
Georgetown, Guyana.
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