Trinidad

J'ouvert kicks off at 4:00am on Carnival Monday — paint, mud, powder and pure energy

Road March spans Port of Spain city centre across full Monday and Tuesday

Panorama: the world's premier steelpan competition — Saturday before Carnival, 60–80 bands, 75–200 musicians each

Dimanche Gras (Sunday night): Kings & Queens costume competition + National Calypso Monarch finals

Pre-season highlights — Stick Fighting Finals at Skinner Park, pan yard limes, calypso tents

Fete season runs 6+ weeks: cooler fetes, all-inclusives, boat rides from New Year to Carnival Tuesday

Local food essentials: doubles, bake and shark, macaroni pie, callaloo Sunday lunch

Fetes & Events

Tap ♥ to save any event to your Carnival Plan

Kambule / Canboulay Re-enactment

Carnival Friday before dawn at Piccadilly Greens, Port of Spain — recent years have started around 4am. A staged re-telling of the 1881 Canboulay Riots, when stickfighters fought off colonial attempts to ban the drumming and the procession. This is the event carnival itself grew out of; the NCC confirms the time closer to the date.

Stick fighting (Kalinda)

Bois bouts in the gayelle, with drummers and a chantwell singing the fighters on. The national finals are at Skinner Park in San Fernando in the weeks before carnival.

Ole Mas & traditional mas

Satire, puns and placards rather than beads and feathers, alongside the traditional characters — Midnight Robber, Dame Lorraine, Pierrot Grenade, Moko Jumbie, Fancy Sailor and Baby Doll.

Dragon parade

Traditional dragon and imp mas, chained and driven through the streets — one of the oldest devil mas forms still played.

Dimanche Gras

Carnival Sunday night at the Queen's Park Savannah: the King and Queen of Carnival finals and the crowning of the Calypso Monarch.

Paramin Blue Devils

Carnival Monday night in the hills of Paramin. Blue-painted jabs, biscuit tins beaten for rhythm, and bands competing to be the most convincing devils. The blue comes from laundry bluing — Paramin had no cane, so no molasses.

Panorama semis & finals

Steelpan at the Queen's Park Savannah — the Savannah Party semi-finals, then the Medium and Large Band finals. All three are listed in the events above.

Senior Kings & Queens

The individual costume competition. These are the enormous wheeled constructions, several metres tall, that one person carries alone.

Calypso tents

Nightly shows through the season where calypsonians debut the year's social and political commentary. Kaiso House and Calypso Revue are the best known.

Wednesday night mas

Mid-week traditional mas in the run-up to carnival — worth asking locally for the current year's venue and line-up.

Before you fly — Online Arrival / Departure Card

Have these ready

Maxi taxis are the backbone: colour-banded minibuses, yellow for the west and northwest, red for the east, green heading south. Flag one down on any 'Main' road and hold up fingers for how many of you there are.

Route taxis are shared cars running fixed routes for a set fare — press the buzzer or call out to get off. Short hops start around TT$3.

The main maxi hubs in Port of Spain are on South Quay, by the PTSC compound.

Driving is on the left. Carnival road closures are extensive across Port of Spain, so do not plan to drive anywhere near the route on Monday or Tuesday.

Agree the fare before getting into a private taxi — they are not metered.

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