The first sign that festive season is once again around the corner is probably the kick off of a few Christmas markets and shopping fairs.
The most popular ones are the Christmas fair of Landhuis Bloemhof, the one of Pietermaai District, Promenade Shopping Center, The Animal & Dogs Sanctuary etc. The annual markets attracts a fun mixed crowd and you can find lots of handmade goodies while enjoying a drink and a snack. From this date there will be Christmas fairs and X-mas shopping nights on a weekly basis on different locations! Most of them are announced on Facebook, so make sure you follow a few touristy pages or subscribe to a few facebook groups like, things to do & see in Curaçao or explore the new facebook events feature that let’s you look up events near you.
Another activity to keep an eye on is Punda Vibes! As of this summer successful weekly shopping nights have been organized in our historical city centre. With it’s cozy & intimate vibe it really brought the city back to life again during the after hours from 17:00-22:00 on Thursdays. During festive season Punda Vibes promises to be extra special and will surely be the place to be! At every corner you can shop, wine, dine, listen to live music and maybe see a few folkloric dance performances too. Good to know that our city centre is walking distance from Curaçao Marine!
Another addition to the to do list is visiting the second edition of the Vegan Food Fest. It will be held on Sunday the 27th of November from 16:00-21:00 at hip & happening farm-to-table concept Hofi Cas Cora. Insiders tip! Go early, as last time due to immense popularity, much of the delicious food was sold out earlier than anticipated. Throughout the year there are also numerous other food related events in Curaçao which are worth a visit too, we’ll write a separate article on this subject soon.
Then comes December with on the 5th of the month the arrival of “Sint Nicolaas & de pieten”! Originally a Dutch tradition, but celebrated widely on the island. Every year a lot of kids wait from early morning in the St. Annabay to see Sint Nicolaas & his helpers arrive by boat. They come “all the way from Spain” to give presents to whom have been good and to “scare” whom have been naughty. It’s quite a long wait, so don’t forget to bring some shade!
A yearly boating tradition is the “Eindejaarsrace” (The end-of-year-race), a fun race where everyone joins in on anything that floats or sails. So don’t be surprised to be sailing in between the supper’s, windsurfers, sunfishes and more. Small and big sail boats participate and all for the “Oliebollen”, a typical Dutch treat, they receive at the end! The event is open to local as well as international sailors.
Fuikdag is the yearly treat for boaters as well as non-boaters. Everyone somehow finds a way to get to the secluded bay where it is year in year out one big party on the water! Great tip: If you don’t like to be amidst the partygoers, you can still moor a bit outside of the centre and experience this local celebration with music and happy people in the background. This year Fuikdag will be all day on Sunday the 8th of January.
Christmas & New Year under the palm trees! Curaçao is one of the few tropical places where you can still really feel the “Ho-ho-ho & End-of-Year” atmosphere. The inhabitants are quite religious, so if you wish to join any church service, it won’t be a problem. Much of the island will be decorated in Christmas lighting from mid December to early January and from 27th of December the fireworks rock the show on a daily! Ending with a big bang on 31st … save some energy for this day, because if you want to experience it as a local, you will head towards Pietermaai area in the morning already. The party basically goes on all day & night
Yes the party just never stops here…
Coming to visit Curaçao? Got questions or would like to receive some more insider tips? Make sure you follow Curaçao Marine on Facebook and ask away! We’ll be glad to help.