Zev Mandelbaum, President and CEO of Toronto-based Altree Developments, has been vacationing in St. Maarten for over two decades. Years of returning to the same bays, restaurants, and hilltop lookout points gave him a local’s rhythm and an investor’s eye. His first Caribbean development, Vie L’Ven Luxury Resort & Residences, is now under construction in Indigo Bay and is due for completion in 2028. The name combines the French noun “vie” (life) and the Dutch verb “leven” (to live) — a branding decision that reflects the property’s values and personality. St. Maarten offers a combination of cultural density, business-friendly regulations, and limited high-end inventory. The energy, community, and way of life that inspired the resort & residences will be on full view during the Carnival season, a time when the island’s infrastructure, economy, and identity are most visibly in motion.
The 2025 edition of St. Maarten Carnival runs from April 21 to May 5 and marks 54 consecutive years of celebrations. Events are concentrated on the Dutch side of the island, centered around Philipsburg’s Carnival Village, a permanent venue with a 10,000-person capacity, built specifically to host concerts, food fairs, and parades. The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation organizes the festival, managing everything from artist contracts and security to licensing and event staging. Its operating budget is supported by the Ministry of Tourism and supplemented through corporate sponsors and vendor fees. For many local seamstresses, sound crews, caterers, and small business owners, Carnival represents their most sustained period of demand, bringing a guaranteed flow of foot traffic, extended hours, and orders placed in volume rather than piecemeal.
The lineup includes the J’ouvert, a vibrant pre-dawn street parade, which begins around 4 a.m. and features thousands of revelers covered in paint, powder, and oil, dancing behind slow-moving sound trucks that blast soca, a more contemporary-sounding offshoot of calypso, at chest-rattling volume. Calypso competitions, by contrast, are held on stage, with solo performers delivering tightly written songs that mix commentary and local gossip. Additional programming includes pageants, steelpan showcases, village concerts, and themed food nights where vendors serve grilled conch, fried snapper, and johnnycakes out of portable stalls.
The island’s culinary culture is definitely not limited to Carnival. St. Maarten’s food economy is layered and territorial. In Grand Case, lolos — open-air food shacks with communal seating and barrel smokers — serve grilled spiny lobster, plantain-stuffed saltfish, and much more. At Sky’s the Limit, one of the best-known among them, cod fritters (accras de morue) are fried to order and handed out by the dozen. In Philipsburg, Cindy’s Roti & Local Food offers curried goat or chicken with chickpeas and soft potato, wrapped in a chewy flatbread and eaten with your hands. What gets served varies block to block, but the tempo is consistent: fast, hot, and tuned to the crowd.
While Carnival anchors the spring season, it’s not the only entry on the cultural calendar. The Heineken Regatta, held annually in early March, attracts over 150 boats and international crews, from professional racers to passionate amateurs, and draws thousands of spectators to watch multi-class sailing competitions around the island. At night, concerts, beach parties, and sponsor events convert the harbor into an informal music festival. In May, the Fish Day festival in Marigot showcases regional seafood and live music, with chefs and musicians brought in from nearby islands. November’s St. Maarten Flavors is a month-long restaurant series, where participating chefs offer curated menus at fixed prices. Between major events, smaller performances, open-air markets, and rotating food festivals, your weekends will be filled to the brim.
Vie L’Ven Luxury Resort & Residences brings luxury, culture, and breathtaking natural beauty to visitors and residents. It occupies a rare stretch of Indigo Bay, which offers both privacy and a location just minutes from Carnival Village, Grand Case lolos, and Regatta season stages. The 280-unit property itself will include a five-star hotel, a private yacht dock, a 30,000-square-foot thermal spa, three pools, and a trio of restaurants — including a flagship led by Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse. There will be plenty of energy, excitement, and life to go around.
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