I just came back from Trinidad Carnival and I had a blast! I was in Trinidad for 7 days (not including travel time). Here is a breakdown of my trip…

Getting There

I forgot how festive Caribbean Airlines is during the carnival season. One of the highlights for me was the complimentary food and drink. Yes everyone! You will be served a hot meal en route to Port of Spain on Caribbean Airlines. You will not get this service flying on American Airlines or Jet Blue. Everyone was happy about the complimentary drinks, especially the delicious rum punch. Perfect way to start the carnival! Check out more flights and book your plane tickets for Trinidad Carnival. You can also get tips on planning for Trinidad Carnival here.

Thursday – Liming* on the Avenue and at the Panyard
On Thursday evening, we decided to go liming with my cousins on Ariapita Avenue (the Avenue) to take in the local scene. We ran into a costume competition and stayed for a while to watch.

After looking at the costumes, we stopped at the “Burger Joint” to grab a quick bite. As always, those burgers, fries, and garlic sauce hit the spot! Right next to the Burger Joint is “Doubles Den”, where you can get delicious gourmet doubles.

We continued down the Avenue until we reached Frankie’s Bar and Restaurant. The place was swinging! Frankie’s was packed. There were people spilling onto the patio and into the street. Soca music was pumping, drinks were flowing and the vibe was sweet. We then spotted an extra bonus … steel pan. These guys were setting up outside to play pan! Once they were ready, the bar turned down the soca music and the steel pan players lit up the street with their sweet tunes and melodies.

Here is a sample of what we heard that night.

We were on a high after the steel pan and did not want to go home. We continued the lime at Phase II panyard.

For those who want to go straight into feting – Popular fetes* held on Thursday: C’est la vie; Beach House; Tribe Ignite

Friday – Scorch Duck Work (first fete)

Our first fete for this carnival trip was Scorch Duck Work, an all-inclusive day time party that started in the afternoon and went on into the night. This was a nice fete to start our carnival. The drinks were flowing and the music set the vibe … from the Soca DJs to the Rhythm section, we danced nonstop!

Here is a little peek of the rhythm section:

Saturday – Suits Breakfast Cruise (morning) and Soca Brainwash (afternoon)

Suits
Boarding time for this breakfast cruise started at 7:00 in the morning and the boat departed from Harbour Master a little after 8:00 a.m. The breakfast cruise was also a cooler fete so everyone walked with their liquor. Breakfast consisted of corn soup, doubles, and geera pork. If there was any other food, I did not see it. We secured a nice little spot on the top-level of the boat, in the shade of course, because that sun was no joke. This boat cruise was Fun! Fun! Fun!

Soca Brainwash
This fete is held by one of my favorite DJs – DJ Private Ryan. This was an all-inclusive fete which had food and drinks flowing. After eating some delicious Trini food and grabbing a drink from the bar, my friends and I gathered in the middle of the fete and danced our hearts out. Private Ryan was on point! The tunes had us jamming straight into the night. We had a fabulous time!

Other popular fetes on Saturday: Caesar’s Army; Scorch

Sunday – Vale Vibe Breakfast fete
Vale Vibe Breakfast fete is one of the most popular all-inclusive fetes during carnival time. Securing tickets is extremely difficult, unless you have a direct link. We were lucky in the end.

This fete started at 4:00 in the morning (seriously, where else would you go and have a party start at this hour? … only in Trinidad). We got there around 5:30 a.m. and went straight to the food. The Bake and Shark was delicious. Thank God, because our Maracas run was definitely not happening on this trip. There was also corn soup, saltfish, crab and dumpling, roti, doubles, jerk chicken and much more. After grabbing some drinks at the bar, we headed over to our friends to jam to the music. I have to say, this one was a favorite! We even got to see this year’s Soca Monarch, Aaron “Voice” St. Louis, perform “Cheers to Life”. Check out the vibes below.

Other popular fetes on Sunday: SOAKA; Sunnyside Up; Moka fete

Monday – J’ouvert and Carnival Monday

J’ouvert – “Yuh can’t play mas if yuh fraid powdah!”

This is one of my favorite parts of Carnival – J’ouvert morning! I’m talking about the real deal … the traditional j’ouvert on the streets of Port of Spain.  J’ouvert reflects the origins of carnival. This is when you will see the remnants of the ole (old) mas*. Perhaps you will see the jab jab spitting fire, while covered in oil and tar (if you are lucky). J’ouvert (French for “break of day”) marks the beginning of carnival.

This year we jumped with Clay J’ouvert band. I usually jump with Red Ants and I always have the best time with them. Clay is a relatively new band but is gaining popularity. Since the route was closer to where we were staying (basically walking distance), we opted to give Clay a try. We were not disappointed.

We woke up early Monday morning and met Clay band at  3:00 a.m., right before they were ready to go on the road. The music trucks pumped the streets with soca, both old and new. Of course my favorites are always the tunes with the iron and the brass … the tunes that bring out the rhythm of the entire experience of j’ouvert … the real “dutty mas”.  I am always drawn to the heavy bass, the pounding iron, and the tang-a-lang-a-lang of the bottle and spoon. Percussion moves me, and the rhythm section plays a huge role during j’ouvert.

Clay had the perfect vibe … fun-loving, wild and free! Everyone was dancing and getting dutty!* Starting with grey clay-like paint, and eventually throwing in some color … from blue, to purple, to yellow, pink, and red. The streets of Port of Spain were alive with music and color!

I LOVE j’ouvert!  I love everything about j’ouvert – wearing old clothes and not having a care in the world … jamming to the rhythm of soca with people from all over … being covered from head to toe with mud, paint and powder …  and partying  in the streets from the wee hours of the morning until the sun rises in sheer bliss.

This is a carnival experience you cannot miss! There is something about j’ouvert that is simply liberating, even more so (in my opinion) than playing in costume or “pretty mas”. J’ouvert is definitely one of my best times for carnival.

Side note: I never register directly with a j’ouvert band because I don’t see the point. J’ouvert is for the people, and I have always had the best time going on the street with my family and jumping up with a band for j’ouvert. That’s just me though, if you want to get the entire package (t-shirt, drinks etc.) then you should probably sign up with a band. Of course it matters which band you jump with, as the vibe (and the crowd that follows / stormers) may vary according to the band and the route taken. My top two j’ouvert band choices are (1) Red Ants and (2) Clay j’ouvert.

Carnival Monday
After going home, hosing off, bathing, eating breakfast and taking a good ol’ nap, we got up to get ready to play Mas! It was carnival Monday, which means you only wear part of the costume or like most people, something entirely different – Monday wear. We played with TRIBE, which left the starting point at around 10:00 a.m. Since we played j’ouvert that morning, we met the band later on during the day after getting some sleep (to do otherwise is not advised. You will be too tired to enjoy the rest of the day).

Because of our location (near to Kapok hotel) we found the band easily. We met up with our friends, grabbed some drinks from the drinks truck (drinks are inclusive with TRIBE) and crossed the stage at the Savannah. By that time, I was starving so I went straight to the TRIBE lunch spot on Jackson Square (food is also provided by TRIBE). There was quite a selection of food options ranging from international to local cuisine. I opted for pelau and stew chicken, which hit the spot. After resting up, the band was ready to hit the road again.

This is where the true fun began! With unlimited drinks, good friends, and pumping music, we took to the streets of Port of Spain and had a blast.

Tuesday – Carnival Tuesday
This is the day of “pretty mas”, the day you wear your full costume. I loved our costume – “Python”, it was one of the prettiest costumes in TRIBE. The combination of blue, orange, and lime green was breathtaking.

We were on the road again! This time decked out in beautiful feathers, beads, and bling! The TRIBE crowd was huge and the sun was blazing, but nevertheless, this was our last day, Carnival Tuesday. I was determined to have the best time! We partied hearty from crossing the Socadrome stage to the very end – the last lap.

Take a look at this wonderful video by Ken Sambury that captures the love, beauty, and spirit of carnival.

Ash Wednesday – party done
And just like that! It’s all over! Carnival breezed right by, and with all the feting, liming, drinking and wining, you never think it’s going to end. Then you turn around and bam … party done.

You would never believe that the past couple of weeks were filled with music, dancing, craziness and bacchanal. On Ash Wednesday in Trinidad, everything is back to normal … as if nothing ever happened.

For those who are on vacation, Maracas beach is a popular “wind down” spot. Tobago is also another place to go post-carnival (if you plan ahead). We didn’t make it to the beach though. We used this day for some family time, and also to pack and get ready for our early morning flight the next day.

Oh, and that weird hollow feeling you have right about now, that’s what’s called “Carnival Tabanca”, a Trini term for extreme sadness/depression when carnival is over. But never mind, you will get over it, and if not, there is always next year

Check out Soca Silky to sample some soca music

A few terms you may need to know:

*liming – Trinidadian term for hanging out

*fete – party

*dutty – Caribbean term for dirty (e.g. dirty mas with paint, mud, powder, as opposed to pretty mas with costume, makeup etc).

*mas – costumes/bands/masquerade

Trinidad – visited February 2016