| Carnival | |
|---|---|
 Members of a costume band parade on the streets of Port of Spain | |
| Observed by | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Type | Cultural |
| Significance | Week before Lent |
| Celebrations | processions, music, dancing, and the use of masquerade |
| Date | Monday and Tuesday before Lent |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Caribbean Carnival, Mardi Gras, Carnival, Shrove Monday, Ash Wednesday, Lent |
The Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is an annual event held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday in Trinidad and Tobago.[1] This event is well known for participants' colorful costumes and exuberant celebrations. There are numerous cultural events such as "band launch" fetes running in the lead up to the street parade on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.[2][3][4] Traditionally, the festival is associated with calypso music, developed by enslaved West and Central Africans in 17th century Trinidad;[5][6] however, Soca music has begun to replace calypso as the more popular musical genre for Carnival.[1] Costume (sometimes called "mas"), stick-fighting, limbo, and steelpan competitions are important components of the festival.[7][8][9]
Carnival, as it is celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago, has spread to many other Caribbean islands as well as several cities worldwide. These celebrations include Toronto's Caribana, Miami's Miami Carnival, Houston Carifest, London's Notting Hill Carnival, as well as New York City's Labor Day Carnival.
- ^ a b Green, Garth L.; Scher, Philip W. (2007-03-28). Trinidad Carnival: The Cultural Politics of a Transnational Festival. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-11672-7.
- ^ Doughty, Melissa (2023-06-21). "Band launches on the way". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "YUMA kicks off band launch season for Carnival 2024 | Loop Trinidad & Tobago". Loop News. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Trinidad and Tobago Carnival | Trinidad Travel & Tourism". Visit Trinidad. Tourism Trinidad. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "The subversive power of calypso music". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ Espinet, Charles S.; Pitts, Harry (1944). Land of the Calypso: The Origin and Development of Trinidad's Folk Song. Guardian Commercial Printery.
- ^ "Traditional Carnival Characters". TNTIsland.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- ^ "Traditional Mas Characters - Calinda or Kalenda (Stick Fighting)". National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ Guide, Forbes Travel. "Three Hot Carnival Celebrations To Hit In February (Besides Rio's)". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-06-14.