In part one we covered the first five days of activities for the 2020 carnival season.   Now we are one week away from the main events, Carnival Monday and Tuesday. 

We know excitement mounts as these two days approach.  However, there is much to enjoy before the season culminates with ‘pretty mas’ on Carnival Tuesday.

If you’ve used our itinerary, you’re probably exhausted, but stay with us.  

Grab your bottle of water, we want you to stay hydrated, and get ready as we walk you through five more days of high energy activities.

Let’s begin:

Day Six

– Juniors Kings & Queens Finals, Queen’s Park Savannah.

– Tobago Senior Kings/Queens/Individuals Preliminaries Finals.

The excitement mounts as we proceed in the next four days.  There is much to see, do, and experience.  There are choices to be made.  You can join the rivalling camps of Soca or Calypso, visit the pan yard if you are a pan enthusiast, jump up as a sailor or simply observe as a mas connoisseur and appraise the artistic masterpieces created by our most talented ‘mas’ men.

Day Seven

– Conventional Creative and Individual Mas, Adam Smith Square

– National Panorama Finals (Single Pan Bands and Small Conventional Bands).

– Chaguanas Borough Carnival – Junior Calypso Finals.

Day Eight

– Fantastic Friday! International Soca Monarch Finals, Queen’s Park Savannah.

– Re-enactment of the Canboulay Riots, Piccadilly Green.                

– Dragon Festival, Cor. George and Prince Streets.

– Traditional Carnival Characters Festival, Memorial Park/Victoria and Woodford Squares.

– Roxborough Kiddies Carnival, Roxborough.

– Tobago Senior – King and Queen of Bands, Individuals Finals.

Fun Fact:

Canboulay Riots roots lie in the Cannes Brulees (Burning Cane).  It was the practice of the French ruling class in the event of cane fires to gather the négue jardin (field slaves) and have them harvest as much cane as possible before all the crop was burnt.  To the beat of horns, shells and whips the slaves were led to the cane fields.  Later, the French who brought the practice of Carnival to the island would dress in costumes depicting the négue jardin and re-enact Cannes Brulees.

Day Nine

– National Panorama Finals (Large Conventional Bands), Queen’s Park Savannah.

– NCBA/Republic Bank Limited Junior Carnival Parade of Bands (Junior Kiddies Carnival).

– Tobago Junior Parade of Bands (Kiddies Carnival) Scarborough.

– Tobago Calypso Monarch.

Day Ten

– Couva Kiddies Carnival, Couva Public Car Park.

– San Fernando Carnival Junior Parade of Bands.

– St. James Street Parade (Kiddies Carnival).

– Dimanche Gras 2020, Queen’s Park Savannah.

– Nostalgia (Traditional) Parade.

– Downtown Carnival (Junior Kiddies Carnival), South Quay.

Fun Fact:

The term Dimanche Gras translates from French into English as Grand Sunday.  It is the Sunday before the two most anticipated days of the Carnival Season.  The National Soca Monarch and the Carnival King and Queen Competitions are held on this night. 

Old Mas or Old Masquerade refers to the satirising of public personalities and social issues through placards and costuming.  It also incorporates the practice of mud mas, which occurs on J’ouvert morning.

There you have it, 10 days of activities to keep you busy all through this Carnival season. 

And, as you enjoy the creativity of our soca artistes, calypsonians, steel bands, and mas men, have a safe Carnival.

Sources: Discover Trinidad & Tobago, PanTrinbago and Nalis