Carriacou Parang Festival is held each year on the weekend before Christmas Day. It began in 1977; it was an idea that was brought up by Mr. Bentley Thomas, three years after the formation of the organisation that is known today as the M. R. P. Y. M. Though he met with opposition from the other members who at the time, did not think that the festival would have gain any attention, Mr. Thomas persisted and persuaded the members to support the staging of the first festival in 1977.
The main objective of organising the festival was to revive and keep alive the "house to house" serenading of string bands. At that time this indigenous aspect of our culture was slowing dying.

Carriacou Parang Festival is unique, when compared with the Parang Festival in the neighboring island of Trinidad and Tobago, where the parang songs are sang in Spanish and electrified instruments are used to supply music.

Carriacou Parang is filled with fun, humor and excitement. The lyrics in the songs are rather controversial at times, since they reflect on political events in the country, historical events and the social wrong doings that occur in people's lives through out the year.
The festival is held in the form of a competition, with organised parang groups from villages through out Carriacou & Petit Martinique and even Grenada all competing for cash prizes along with a challenge trophy.

The groups are comprised of not more than eight (8) members and they are all dressed in colourful out fits to reflect the festive season. All of the instruments used for this occasion are percussion instruments, these include: base drum, iron, guitar, quarto, violin, marack (shack - shack), mandolin, saxophone, tambourine and any other percussion instrument that can make a melodious sound.

The groups would make two appearances; first to perform a "test piece", this is a Christmas Carol that is selected by the Parang Festival Committee. This song is performed by all of the groups. In their second appearance the groups would perform a composition of their choice. Groups are judged on both appearances, read the criteria for Judging parang & hosanna BANDS… for the past 23 years many different bands have captured the title.

For the first ten years, the festival was held for one day, the Sunday before Christmas Day. In 1987 a new dimension was added to festival, and it was extended to two days Saturday and Sunday. Many of the international entertainers were brought to perform here for the people of Carriacou and Petit Martinique. As a result the Saturday was dubbed as "foreign entertainers night".