Submission for SALISES 15th Annual Conference, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, April 23-25, 2014 Festival Economic Impacts on Small Developing Economies: A Case Study of Grenada’s Spice Mas By Jo-anne Tull, Ph.D. Carnival Studies Unit, Dept. of Creative and Festival Arts The University of the West Indies St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies Abstract Global economy contexts of intense competition and recessionary tribulations reinforce the need for small developing countries to harness avenues of industrial diversification that can lead to sustainable economic development. In the predominantly small developing country region of the Caribbean, the burgeoning growth of festivals has given impetus to the pursuance of tourism-led strategies that utilise festivals as drivers for bolstering the region’s economic development. The Grenada Spice Mas, the national carnival celebration of Grenada, has been positioned to generate such returns, having been moved to the month of August to stave off competition from other regional carnivals and to maximize on opportunities to significantly impact on the national economy. This paper offers a preliminary analysis of Grenada’s Spice Mas’ economic impact based on the findings of a visitor exit survey, a festival management audit and a sponsorship survey conducted during the 2011 celebrations. The paper seeks to identify lessons to be gained from the Spice Mas experience in harnessing festivals as viable contributors to small developing economies such as Grenada’s. Key Words: festival economic impacts; festival tourism; Grenada Spice Mas; festival management; small developing states.