Cabo Verde🇨🇻 | festivalsMindelo CarnivalTuesday parade, Mandingas, Rua de Lisboa, neighborhood rehearsals | things to do and best time to go

The center of Mindelo, around Praça Nova and the waterfront near Rua de Lisboa, is where you want to sleep, because the parade route and the evening street parties are within a ten-minute walk. You can stumble home on foot at night, which matters when taxis are scarce and streets are closed.The streets just behind the harbor and the pedestrian lanes around the Municipal Market are the most social part of town. Backpackers meet in small guesthouses and shared-room hostels there, and the cafés and bars along Rua de Lisboa fill with other budget travelers and Mindelenses alike. Solo travelers will … read more 👉

The center of Mindelo, around Praça Nova and the waterfront near Rua de Lisboa, is where you want to sleep, because the parade route and the evening street parties are within a ten-minute walk. You can stumble home on foot at night, which matters when taxis are scarce and streets are closed.The streets just behind the harbor and the pedestrian lanes around the Municipal Market are the most social part of town. Backpackers meet in small guesthouses and shared-room hostels there, and the cafés and bars along Rua de Lisboa fill with other budget travelers and Mindelenses alike. Solo travelers will find it easy to join a group heading to the parade.The area near the Fontainhas neighborhood and the old fishing quarter, a short walk from the harbor, is quieter and cheaper. It is pleasant for sleeping but noisier near the drum rehearsals in the weeks before Carnival, which is half the fun.I would avoid staying out toward Laginha beach if you want the full late-night scene, though it is fine if you prefer sand during the day. It is a 15 to 20 minute walk to the center.The center is safe for walking in a crowd, but keep phones and wallets in front pockets during the parade crush, and use a registered taxi after the parties wind down.