Wet & Wild

Trinidad and Tobago is dressing up for iTs annual carnival. Bhaichand Patel Tells you whaT To expecT—from cosTumes and calypso music To rum and cocoa-coloured holi.

- Bhaichand Patel

The locals proudly call Trinidad and Tobago’s annual carnival, “The Greatest Show on Earth.” It is certainly one of the world’s best street parties. Other islands in the Caribbean have tried to replicate it; the West Indian diaspora has its own version in cities like Toronto, New York, Miami and most famously on Portobello Road in London’s Notting Hill. None of them, however, come close to matching the exuberance and creativity of the original on the streets of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago’s capital.

This year’s carnival is on February 27 and 28, a final binge just before Ash Wednesday—the day when Lent begins, Christianity’s season of fasting and prayer. It attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world and is the busiest time of the year for hotels. If you wish to stay anywhere near the city, you must book your accommodation well in advance. Rooms in private houses are also available.

Leave your saris and inhibitions at home. Once you are there, go native, let your hair down and enjoy the carnival’s explosion of colour, music and, if you are so inclined, its debauchery. The festivities are fuelled by beer and rum. You can drink coconut water too if you wish, but you will find few to keep you company.