Bright colors fill the streets and joyous rhythms ring through the air during carnaval in the Dominican Republic. Throughout the country, performers wear vibrant, intricate costumes that invite curiosity and inspire spectators to join the parades. Culminating on Dominican Independence Day on February 27, carnaval has long been a part of Dominican cultural identity. Artifacts found near La Vega, the Dominican Republic’s epicenter of carnaval, indicate celebrations in the region dating to the early 1500s. Today, the imaginative costumes and narratives of carnaval flourish throughout the Dominican diaspora.

Lawrence is home to one of the largest concentrations of Dominicans in the United States. Led by Stelvyn Mirabal, the Asociación Carnavalesca de Massachusetts has preserved and honored the Dominican carnaval tradition since 2000. The Lawrence-based organization maintains a membership of forty-five performers and a corps of talented craftspeople that create and repair the elaborate ensembles. El Carnaval Continúa offers a closer look into the Asocación’s imaginative costume designs, the historical myths and narratives that inform them, and Mirabal’s tireless dedication to bringing these traditions to life.