Colorful Scenes from Carnaval in Ponce, Puerto Rico

A giant dead (fake) sardine in a coffin. A burning effigy. Monster-like costumes. 

In Puerto Rico, these are the standard elements for carnival, the pre-Lenten celebration. 

If you're a fan of carnival and Mardi Gras but want to avoid the crowds, I've found a place you might want to put on your itinerary for next year: Ponce, Puerto Rico. 

This year was my husband's and my first time attending Carnaval de Ponce (look up to see the video or click here to watch). We loved the combination of vibrant costumes, live music and fascinating traditions, all in a setting that's decidedly smaller scale and more relaxed than anything in Rio de Janeiro or New Orleans. 

This may be the largest pre-Lenten festival in Puerto Rico, but the Carnaval de Ponce is still a manageable event for people who prefer to stay away from giant throngs of revelers. Planning a Puerto Rico vacation around this event could provide an interesting cultural aspect to a trip — and with lots of amazing photo opportunities.

Among my favorite visuals from the carnival celebration in Ponce:

• The vejigantes, iconic figures in Puerto Rico’s Carnaval de Ponce, are people dressed in vibrant costumes with bat-like wings and elaborate papier-mâché masks adorned with multiple horns and sharp fangs. Their name combines the words “vejiga” (bladder) and “gigante” (giant), referencing the inflated cow or goat bladders they carry — well, the bladders they traditionally carried; today, it's more likely a fake bladder made from plastic or papier-mâché.

Traditionally, these bladders are dried, painted, and filled with seeds, serving as playful instruments for the vejigantes to interact with festival attendees by gently hitting them, adding a mischievous element to the festivities (although in my experience they usually didn't hit people unless asked to do so, which was what happened in my case. I needed a photo opportunity!).

I've read that one of the original purposes of the demon-like creatures whipping people with bladders was to scare them into going to church. Not sure if that worked.

• The Entierro de la Sardina (Burial of the Sardine), held on the last day of Carnaval, symbolizes the conclusion of the excesses of carnival season and the onset of Lent.

I actually found myself walking right with this theatrical procession, which features vejigantes and beauty queens who dramatically mourn the sardine’s “death” with exaggerated lamentations and theatrical crying. In Ponce, the sardine isn't real, but rather an exaggeratedly large fake fish (I believe made from papier-mâché) resting in a life-size purple coffin carried through the streets. Absolutely fabulous.

The final night's ceremony culminates with the burning of an effigy, marking a cathartic end to the celebrations and a transition into a period of reflection. 

Carnival is a pre-Lenten celebration, so — like Easter — the dates change every year. The next Carnaval Ponceño is scheduled for February 12-17, 2026.

The main airport in San Juan offers the most number of flights into Puerto Rico, and you can rent a car and drive south about an hour and a half. the Ponce airport, Mercedita, offers a limited number of flights to a couple destinations in the United States.

There are a variety of hotels in Ponce, and the ones downtown are the most convenient for those looking to be within walking distance to the Carnaval festivities. Booking in advance is recommended.

ABOUT MARK CHESNUT

Mark Chesnut is a New York City-based journalist, editor, travel industry consultant and public speaker with more than 30 years of experience. The winner of the 2019 NLGJA Excellence in Travel Writing Award, Mark is the author of the book Prepare for Departure. Follow him on Instagram!