On Saturday night at 8:06 PM, the Aruba Police and SMAC (Special Mobile Action Corps) kicked off the 2026 Lighting Parade.
This year’s event saw eight groups, a last lap, and approximately 3,510 participants. The police deployed a total of 175 officers to manage the parade, including uniformed police, ME (Mobile Enforcement), the research department, the motor unit, K-9 units, the Flex Team, traffic department, Mobile Commando, OCC, planning department personnel, administrative staff, and CEA personnel.
By 1:00 AM, the parade had reached the Ex-DOW area, and by 2:55 AM, it had concluded early Sunday morning.
Police spokesperson Liliana Rasmijn explained that this year there was only one arrest, which was for the possession of a switchblade.
Looking back at the previous year’s Carnival, there were eight arrests in 2025. The number of arrests during the Lighting Parade has decreased, and the authorities in Aruba are satisfied with the outcome.
