Mas designers are moving away from skimpy mas

The Festival which kicked off in May is one of the country's major tourist attractions, but St Lucians have expressed disappointment that Carnival costumes had become more revealing and less creative.

St Lucian journalist Lisa Joseph told BBC Caribbean Radio that the mas designers seemed to have put more effort into this year’s presentations.

"There has been a conscious and concerted effort for our mas not to be just a wanton bacchanalia, but to really view how you can hone talent and express the creativity of the people."

Traditionally, the Carnival was held on the Monday and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday which meant it clashed with bigger Carnivals in Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil, but in 2000, the government shifted the festival to the third Monday and Tuesday in July.

Joseph said this change has benefited the country because they have been able to encourage large numbers of tourists from different parts of the region to take part in the Carnival.

"For us the French market has been growing. People coming out of Martinique and Guadeloupe have been able to come and participate, so much so that over the last three years, there's been a French band so they come in and play mas," she said.

Crime problem

This year, the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) which organises the event decided to end the festivities earlier than normal because of the growing crime problem.

Joseph said while crime is becoming a bigger problem in St Lucia, stopping Carnival celebrations does not send a positive signal to the outside world.

"What message is this sending to the visitors when you say that crime is a big element here and we're not quite sure how to handle it? It doesn't send a signal that the authorities are in charge of the crime situation.

"The CDF, the Carnival bands, the police and all other authorities involved in the staging of Carnival need to sit down and find the best strategy for dealing with this problem," she said. "There ought to be a more positive and more assertive reaction coming from the authorities on how to deal with the crime situation."

Tuesday's parade in Castries brings an end to a two-month long celebration which also featured the Carnival Queen Show, the Panorama competition for steelbands and the Calypso Monarch competition.