Officially Carnival is the Monday and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday but celebrations begin right after Christmas.
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.
With its massive masquerade bands, spectacular costumes, pulsating music and unparalleled stamina for partying, Trinidad's Carnival is often described as the greatest show on earth. It is a time for release and everyone is invited to join the party.
In 2011, the annual Carnival season climaxed on Monday, March 7 and Tuesday, March 8.
To learn more about Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival and find information on shows, music, activities and events, see the links below.
From Boxing Day it is non-stop partying until Carnival Sunday.
It is during this post Christmas period that calypso tents open their doors to the public and cultural shows, from Limbo competitions to massive soca concerts, begin.
Radio stations begin to play the latest soca hits and many masquerade bands launch their new themes.
Steelbands begin intense preparations for Panorama, the annual competition for steel pan bands. Preliminary contests are hosted at panyards throughout the country during the six weeks leading up to Carnival. Panorama finals are the ultimate test of musical skill. Representing the best of the best, selected bands compete before judges and thousands of spectators the Saturday night before Carnival officially begins.
With its massive masquerade bands, spectacular costumes, pulsating music and unparalleled stamina for partying, Trinidad's Carnival is often described as the greatest show on earth. It is a time for release and everyone is invited to join the party.
In 2011, the annual Carnival season climaxed on Monday, March 7 and Tuesday, March 8.
To learn more about Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival and find information on shows, music, activities and events, see the links below.
Named for the tobacco cultivated by the original Carib population, Tobago existed separately from Trinidad for centuries. While the explorer Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1498, he did not land and no attempts were made to colonize Tobago.
But long before European powers expressed interest in the island's strategic harbour and fertile soil, it was the centre of battles for control between the Carib population and other Amerindian tribes.
Later, in the 17th century, English, French, Dutch and even Courlanders (Latvians) fought to control the strategic island and it changed hands more than 30 times.
During British rule in the late 1600s, sugar, cotton and indigo plantations were established and thousands of Africans were brought to Tobago as slave labour. In 1781 the French invaded, but by 1814 the island was ceded to Britain.
In 1889, during a period of economic decline, Britain annexed the smaller Tobago to Trinidad as an administrative ward. The islands achieved independence from England in 1962 and became the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 1976.
The base of Tobago's early economy was agriculture, but this was ravaged by severe hurricanes in 1847 and 1963.
Today the island is serene, yet the many forts and batteries that dot Tobago's landscape hint at a thrilling past.
Fierce slave revolts, bitter battles for control between European powers, attacks on European settlers by the Amerindian Indians who inhabited the island and pirates are all part of Tobago's rich history.
In 1629 an expedition of Dutchmen established a settlement which was annihilated by disease and the Amerindians. More settlers were sent in 1632 but an attack by the Spaniards four years later drove them out.
English Puritans also attempted to settle in Tobago, but many were killed by the Amerindians and the survivors driven out.
But long before European powers expressed interest in the island's strategic harbour and fertile soil, it was the centre of battles for control between the Carib population and other Amerindian tribes.
Later, in the 17th century, English, French, Dutch and even Courlanders (Latvians) fought to control the strategic island and it changed hands more than 30 times.
During British rule in the late 1600s, sugar, cotton and indigo plantations were established and thousands of Africans were brought to Tobago as slave labour. In 1781 the French invaded, but by 1814 the island was ceded to Britain.
In 1889, during a period of economic decline, Britain annexed the smaller Tobago to Trinidad as an administrative ward. The islands achieved independence from England in 1962 and became the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 1976.
The base of Tobago's early economy was agriculture, but this was ravaged by severe hurricanes in 1847 and 1963.
Today the island is serene, yet the many forts and batteries that dot Tobago's landscape hint at a thrilling past.
Fierce slave revolts, bitter battles for control between European powers, attacks on European settlers by the Amerindian Indians who inhabited the island and pirates are all part of Tobago's rich history.
In 1629 an expedition of Dutchmen established a settlement which was annihilated by disease and the Amerindians. More settlers were sent in 1632 but an attack by the Spaniards four years later drove them out.
English Puritans also attempted to settle in Tobago, but many were killed by the Amerindians and the survivors driven out.
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