Trinidad and Tobago are known for one of the world’s largest street parade carnivals. It is a two (2) day celebration which is held before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of LENT.

Trinidad

For Carnival, most locals start celebrating a week before the annual event, which is known as ‘Carnival Week.’ Most of the fetes are held prior to or during the carnival season. In Trinidad fetes (parties) as Army Fete, Fire Fete, Cooler Fete, etc and some competitions such as calypso monarch, soca monarch, and chutney Monarch just to name a few are held around carnival time.

Masqueraders party in costumes with bands that make beautiful home-made and some hand-crafted costumes. Many people come from all around the world and choose which band and what costumes to dance throughout the streets with.

 Tobago

Tobago’s carnival mainly focuses on folk elements of long ago. It emphasizes on creativity, calypso, steel pan,  soca, and sweet creole food. Some Tobagonian masqueraders visit the mas campsites when it comes to the costumes and has close communication and interactions with mas band leaders some also assist in the finishing up of there own costumes.

Carnival Monday highlights both children and adult bands parading on the streets of Scarborough.

Whist Carnival Tuesday is where most adults come out in their numbers in full costumes, this parade is non-stop until midnight

In Tobago, there are events for many tourists and locals to enjoy. Events such as:

  • TUCO Calypso Shows
  • Pan Trinbago Preliminary Panorama
  • Department of Cultures Carnival Caravan
  • Junior Carnival Extravaganza
  • Mas Competitions
  • Tobago House of Assembly’s inter-divisional show
  • TUCO Mas
  • Soca Spree – Featuring Machel Montano
  • Soca Under d’ Samaan Tree – which is hosted by Tobago’s own Radio Station 92.7 Radio Tambrin

 

 

Another exciting event is the street theatre, which is better known as J’Ouvert. It starts on Carnival Sunday with the biggest bands on the street. J’Ouvert morning is where the Mud Mas Bands comes out, it is literally waves of mud that passes through the streets of Crown Point Scarborough and Roxborough from as early as 3 am.

For this celebration, your attire is whatever you desire and you will be covered from head to toe in purified and treated mud. After indulging in the mud you parade in the streets with hundreds of other comrades, to rhythmic music.

This Tobago experience adds up and makes an ultimate fulfillment.

Therefore Trinidad and Tobago is the places to be when it comes to playing mas and enjoying great music.