During Carnival 2026, Aruba witnessed something special in its streets: music, discipline, and cultural pride in the hands of our children. Through the Asambeho Kids Aruba project, the Aruba Tourism Authority (A.T.A.) actively invested in the future of our culture by placing one of our most beloved musical traditions at the center of the Carnival celebration, in collaboration with Fundacion Go Cultura.
Under the leadership of Stichting Asambeho School Roderich Lopes, our talented children and youth delivered a magnificent performance during the children’s Carnival parades in Oranjestad and San Nicolas. Demonstrating that Asambeho is not just music:
It is formation.
It is identity.
It is the passing on of knowledge from generation to generation.
In Oranjestad and San Nicolas, thousands of spectators enjoyed watching our children march with pride, focus, and respect for a musical tradition deeply rooted in our history. For many of them, this was the first time participating in an event of this magnitude — a moment they will carry with them for life.
These young musicians of Asambeho Kids Aruba are not only learning rhythm and technique. This activation goes far beyond Carnival performances. It is part of a structured and impactful training program lasting one year in its first phase. During this journey, which began in September 2025, they are learning who they are, where they come from, and what they carry into the future.
This is a structural and ongoing cultural activation that includes weekly music lessons and workshops, historical workshops about Asambeho and our Aruban musical heritage, as well as character development, discipline, and pride through culture. We are shaping nation builders and cultural ambassadors.
Children walking with rhythm, confidence, and identity, under the leadership of Stichting Asambeho School Roderich Lopes.
The Aruba Tourism Authority recognizes that investing in local culture, especially in youth, is an investment in our community, our cultural continuity, and our image as a destination. The Asambeho Kids Project is a living example that when institutions and the community work together, we can create space for growth, expression, and belonging on the very streets where our culture was born. Carnival 2026 thus became not only a celebration, but a clear declaration of who we are and how we continue to build our future.
Our culture is alive, it continues to live, and the future is in the hands of our children!
