Once a year carnival comes to Bocas del Toro and the streets are packed with Panamanians, tourists and of course the dancing diablos and their whips! The time of carnival changes every year but it is a 5 day celebration that occurs during February or March. This year it ran from the 13th on the Friday night until Tuesday, however the celebrations always spill over for an extra day and seeing as it is also the Chinese new year this Wednesday and nearly all the supermarkets in town are Chinese owned, the town will be alive for one more night for sure.
Panamanians come from all over the country to celebrate in Bocas, a particularly large amount come from Panama City so finding a bed last minute is near to impossible.

About a week before carnival starts people are preparing their diablo outfit, which is homemade and comes equipped with…