List your fete

Guides

Trinidad Carnival 101

New to Trinidad Carnival? Start here: what happens when, what it costs, and the words you will hear all week.

Updated for Carnival 202719 September 20261 min read

New to Trinidad Carnival? Start here: what happens when, what it costs, and the words you will hear all week.

What Carnival actually is

Coming soon.

The week, day by day

Coming soon.

What it costs

Coming soon.

Words you will hear

Coming soon.

Your first-timer checklist

Coming soon.

Ready to plan it?

See who is on the road this season, and what is on the calendar.

This season
Events

More guides

  1. Tobago Carnival 101 October Carnival on the sister isle: the Thursday-to-Sunday shape of it, J’ouvert on the beach, the parade and how to get there and back. 1 min read
  2. Monday wear Monday on the road is your own look, not the costume: swimwear, mesh, monokinis and where to buy them without the last-minute panic. 1 min read
  3. Things to do during Carnival Beyond the fetes and the road: Panorama, the Dimanche Gras, Kiddies Carnival, the beach and the food, if you have a week in Trinidad. 1 min read
  4. How to choose a band Large or medium, all-inclusive or not, frontline or backline: how to pick the band that fits you and your budget. 1 min read
  5. Playing mas From costume collection to the Savannah stage: what the two days on the road are like and how to get through them. 1 min read
  6. The Carnival budget A real budget for costume, fetes, J’ouvert, boots, makeup and everything in between. 1 min read
  7. The fete guide Cooler fetes, breakfast parties, boat rides, all-inclusives and concerts: which is which and how to choose. 1 min read
  8. The J’ouvert guide Paint, mud, powder and oil before sunrise: how J’ouvert works and how to do it properly. 1 min read
  9. Questions we get every year The questions that land in our inbox every season, answered straight. 1 min read