Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago: CARNIVAL

Wednesday 8 July 2015

CARNIVAL

An explosion of colour, music, revelry, and creativity, Trinidad's Carnival has spawned similar celebrations around the world; but nothing on earth can rival the abandon, euphoria and stunning spectacle of our festival

The word Carnival is made up of two Latin words, carne, meaning flesh and vale, meaning farewell. In the Catholic calendar carne vale, farewell to flesh, is a feast celebrated on the Sunday (Dimanche Gras), Monday (Lundi Gras) and Tuesday (Mardi Gras) before Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of Lent and fasting.

The Caribbean Carnival consists of masquerade, dance, music and song. It is unique as a festival as it incorporates the fine arts, street theatre, artistic and musical social organisation, spectator participation, political commentary, spectacle and fantasy.

TnT Carnival 2016

Carnival is celebrated every year in TnT and it gets better year after year, 2016 will be no exception!

PLAN AHEAD ........CARNIVAL 2016 IS COMING EARLY NEXT YEAR, HERE ARE SOME OF THE OFFICIAL EVENTS TAKING PLACE

Click here to download calendar

Also, as part of your early preparations, accommodations are most important. So if you are looking, my recommendation would be to check out our Hilton as well as the Hyatt, as they are in close proximity to POS and environs where the parade of the bands are. Also easy access to most of the 'fetes' leading up to Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

6 comments:

Joanna20 June 2015 at 01:14
Trinidad and Tobago Carnival .... the place to be in 2016
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Anonymous29 July 2015 at 09:35
The best street party in the world....nothing else can compare.....2016 here we come!!!!
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Unknown30 July 2015 at 11:03
A wonderful time to visit Trinidad and Tobago. Even if the fetes aren't your thing then take the opportunity to site see. But I guarantee you the vibe will get the better of you and you'll be feting all night. Come n enjoy!
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Anonymous30 July 2015 at 12:10
greatest fete on earth
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Unknown30 July 2015 at 13:00
This looks interesting, seems like I'll be coming Trinidad.
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Karen Nadine20 August 2015 at 06:45
Carnival presents the greatest assortments of shows and revelry, Carnival Monday and Tuesday has the best street parties ....head to our shores for the most mind blowing experience ever....
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THE MAJOR EVENTS ARE:

Panorama The first Panorama was held in 1963 and the preliminary contests for this annual competition are now hosted by each region (North, South, Central and Tobago) in the weeks leading up to Carnival. Held the Saturday before Carnival at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Panorama finals are the ultimate test of a steelband’s skill and selected bands compete before thousands of spectators.  

Kings and Queens Costume Competition The leaders of masquerade bands, King and Queen costumes typically weigh between 50 – 200 lbs, and depict colourful themes from nature to fantasy dreamscapes. Costumes are enhanced with lasers, fog, light shows, fireworks and sound effects.   

Dimanche Gras A massive cultural show, Dimanche Gras is held the Sunday night before Carnival at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain. Mas, steelpan, calypso and soca music are showcased at the event, which features the Calypso Monarch competition in which 10 to 12 calypso singers battle in song.  

J’Ouvert  The official start of Carnival, J’Ouvert takes place before dawn on Carnival Monday and bands of revellers dressed in old clothes cover themselves in oil, grease, paint, chocolate or mud and dance through the streets till the sun comes up.   

Carnival Monday and Tuesday Masquerade bands consisting of thousands of people ‘jumping up’ (dancing) in glittery, colourful and often revealing costumes rule the streets on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Each band has its own historical, mythological or tropical concept with various sections depicting aspects of the main theme.  

Mas The costumes worn by masqueraders on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, these costumes can be simple or elaborate in design.  

Calypso Originating in Trinidad and Tobago, calypso music or kaiso is characterized by social or political commentary and/or satirical lyrics sung to ballad style rhythms.  

Soca Derived from calypso, soca’s fast beats and saucy lyrics provide the soundtrack to Carnival. Many of the lyrics are instructional in format e.g.; “Jump and wave”.  

Fetes These parties can be large or small and during the Carnival season feature live performances from soca musicians, with popular fetes attracting massive crowds.

Extempo A type of calypso where rival performers must quickly improvise entertaining lyrics, based on a given subject, before a live audience. Performers are judged on wit and lyrical ingenuity.

Chutney Originating in Trinidad and Tobago, the infectious rhythms of chutney music is derived from a combination of traditional Indian folk songs, soca and Bollywood tunes. Lyrics are sung in Hindi and/or English.

Chutney Brass Chutney Brass is a massive musical event attracting lovers of chutney music with performances from top chutney bands. Each bands’ repertoire must be no less than 60 per cent chutney music.

Brass The term “brass” refers to brass bands, but it is also used to describe massive concert type events such as the Caribbean Brass Festival and the iconic Brass Festival, which feature performances from top brass bands.

All-Inclusive Fete All-Inclusive Fetes are parties where the cost of food and drink (including alcohol) are incorporated into the ticket price.