Tobago Carnival 2026
- Dates
- Fri 30 Oct to Sun 1 Nov
- Edition
- The 5th
- Theme
- The Awakening
25 days to go until Tobago Carnival 2026.
Trinidad & TobagoIndependent guide2026 / 2027
Soca Carnival
The independent guide to Trinidad & Tobago Carnival, made for first-timers.
Next on the road
All datesTrinidad Carnival 2027
- J'ouvert
- Mon 8 Feb, approx. 4:00 AM AST
- Carnival
- Mon 8 to Tue 9 Feb
- Where
- Port of Spain and across Trinidad
127 days to go until Trinidad Carnival 2027.
Find your band
Your band is your costume, your crew and your truck for two days on the road.
Next up on the calendar
Band launches, fetes and the big days, with official ticket links. Past events move to the archive automatically.
- 30Oct
Parade
Tobago Carnival 2026
Fri, 30 Oct 2026Scarborough and venues across Tobago
Price TBC
- 31Oct
J'ouvert
Tobago Carnival 2026: Dutty J'ouvert
Sat, 31 Oct 2026Streets of Scarborough
Price TBC
- 31Oct
Fete
Sand Jam 2026, Pigeon Point
Sat, 31 Oct 2026, 10:00 AM ASTPigeon Point Heritage Park
TT$180
- 31Oct
Parade
Tobago Carnival 2026: Night Mas
Sat, 31 Oct 2026Streets of Scarborough
Price TBC
- 1Nov
Parade
Tobago Carnival 2026: Parade of the Bands
Sun, 1 Nov 2026Streets of Scarborough
Price TBC
First Carnival? Start here
From what to wear on J'ouvert morning to how maxi taxis work, everything is explained plainly.
Image credit: Richard Bridgens, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Two centuries in the making
Carnival was shaped by emancipation, resistance and the drum. Know the story and the road means more.
Talk like a Trini
- BacchanalA word that covers any wild commotion: scandal, a fight, confusion, gossip, or a riotous good time. Carnival is bacchanal season, but a quarrel at a bus stop can be bacchanal too.
- Bake and sharkSeasoned fried shark served hot in a puffy fried bake (bread), loaded at the counter with sauces such as chadon beni, tamarind and garlic, plus pineapple and salad. Maracas Beach is the classic place to eat it. 'Bake and fish' swaps in other fish.
- BazodeeDazed, confused and disoriented, most often because of love. Someone bazodee cannot think straight.
- BessExcellent, awesome, or very attractive, depending on what it describes. A song, a costume, a meal or a person can all be bess.
- BoboleeA stuffed effigy of Judas Iscariot, made from old clothes, that communities beat with sticks on Good Friday. Many bobolees now carry the names of unpopular politicians or public figures. By extension, a bobolee is someone everybody picks on or takes advantage of.
- CallalooA thick green soup made from dasheen leaves, coconut milk, ochroes (okra) and pumpkin, sometimes with salted meat or crab.
- ChipTo shuffle your feet along to the beat of the music, the steady, easy dance step that carries masqueraders for hours down the road. Chipping saves energy for the big moments.
- ChutneyIndo-Caribbean dance music rooted in the traditional songs sung by women at Hindu weddings, played on instruments such as the dholak drum and dhantal. Chutney soca blends it with soca. The word also names the spicy condiments, like mango or tamarind chutney, spooned onto doubles.
- CommessConfusion, mix-up and juicy drama, usually involving gossip and other people's business. Close in spirit to bacchanal, but more about the tangle and the talk than the noise.
- Corn soupA thick split-pea soup with chunks of sweetcorn, vegetables and small dumplings. It is a classic street food, and a cup of hot corn soup after a fete is a well-loved habit.
- Cyah'Can't'. One of the most useful words to recognise when you hear Trinidadians talk, and the key to old sayings like 'yuh cyah play mas if yuh fraid powder' (if you can't take criticism, don't put yourself out there).
- Dimanche GrasCarnival Sunday, and the big night-time show held that evening at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain. In 2026 the National Carnival Commission billed it as the Senior Kings and Queens of Carnival finals; in past years the show has also crowned the National Calypso Monarch. J'ouvert follows in the early hours of the next morning.
- Doh study it'Don't worry about it' or 'don't pay it any mind'. In Trinidadian speech, to 'study' something is to dwell on it until it unsettles you, so this is advice to let it go.
- DotishFoolish, silly or plain stupid. Used both as a gentle tease between friends and as a real insult.
- DoublesTrinidad's favourite street snack: two pieces of soft fried bara bread with curried channa (chickpeas), dressed with cucumber, pepper sauce and chutneys. Mostly sold in the morning from roadside stalls. The dish was created in Princes Town in 1936 by Emamool Deen and his wife.
- Ent'Isn't it?', 'right?' or 'not so?'. Used to ask for agreement or to add emphasis, either at the start or the end of a sentence.