Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2020
Solo Adventure:
The story of how I got my first carnival experience is an interesting one. It all started when a girl friend of mine called me and told me about a dance class she was taking. The dance group is called Soca Tribe and she encouraged me to join. Through this class is where she learned that the owner of the Soca Tribe dance class is organizing a trip to Trinidad & Tobago for carnival. Once again my friend encouraged me to take the class so that we can go on this trip together. There were only 2 spaces available so I thought why not. I attended the dance class the next day but my friend was a no show, little did I know this was setting a trend. This afforded me the opportunity to fall in love with the idea all by myself. That day I paid my dues for carnival and I was ready for my girl’s trip. If you know anything about carnival, the costumes are planned a year in advance and here I am only 10 days away! I wanted the full carnival experience so I searched until I found someone to make me a costume worthy of the front line and luckily there was one costume left and it was in my size. I was so excited but I truly didn’t know what to expect. When I get to Trinidad & Tobago and once again my friend is a no show. My girl’s trip was now a solo adventure, as I knew no one. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Since we were part of a group I had a roommate who quickly became a friend. I made up mind to participate in all the activities on the itinerary, which left about 3 hours of sleep. There’s way too much to write about my experience at carnival so I posted the itinerary below along with some memorable pictures. I highly recommend that everyone visit Trinidad & Tobago carnival. It’s definitely where you want to be.
Food: The food was very tasty but not particularly healthy as there are a lot of fried foods. A lot of the events were all-inclusive so many of the fets (parties) we attended had food and drinks included.
Culture: At carnival you don’t meet a lot of locals as people come from all over the world to attend Trinidad & Tobago Carnival. The few locals that you do meet are pleasant and very hospitable.
Fashion: Costumes! Costumes! And more costumes! Don’t wait until the last minute like I did and plan your costume designs ahead. I wouldn’t have felt like I was truly part of carnival without one. It’s a long tradition that I am honored to be a part of.
Social Life: It’s all about the social life during carnival. Carnival is all about parties, drinking, meeting new people and having so much fun.
