February is the month of carnival in the Dominican Republic, and the Punta Cana Carnival is one of the most organized and colorful, under the direction of Orlando Lora.
The 17th Punta Cana Carnival will take place on Friday, 20 February and Saturday, 21 February on the 1 November Boulevard in the Punta Cana Village.
A selection of the top five on Friday, 20 February when a warm up carnival parade will take place on the same central Punta Cana boulevard as of 6pm.
The major event with 30 groups from all the country, a selection of the best in carnival nationwide, will take place on Saturday, 21 February as of 2:30pm on the same 1 November Boulevard.
On that same day, the Rey Momo or Reina Moma will be announced at 4pm to join the parade. Last year it was merengue queen Mily Quezada. Others have been fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, national symphony orchestra director Jose Antonio Molina, jazz musician Michel Camilo and merengue stars Hermanos Rosario and Eddy Herrera.
Carnival celebrations are taking place all Sundays in February in the Cibao provinces of La Vega, Santiago, Bonao and Puerto Plata.
Here more about the preparations
Esta Noche con Mariasela
3 February 2026