By May, the lack of rain has parched the formerly lush landscape: greens turn to yellow, dust clouds put the views into soft focus and bush fires rage through Trinidad’s hills. Around the end of May, the rainy season begins, and the skies open up with dramatic deluges that can last all day.
The wet season lasts until November, but there’s usually a respite from the downpours in September, a period of hot sunshine and blue skies known as the petit carem, worth considering when thinking about the best time to visit. It’s an excellent time to plan your trip, with flights at low-season rates, though you’ll find the resorts a little quiet.
Some Tobago hoteliers raise rates during the high season (Dec 15–April 15), and those in Trinidad’s Grande Riviere do the same during the turtle-laying season (March–Sept), but most of the smaller hotels charge the same year-round in both islands. During Carnival week, however, all Port of Spain hotels and guesthouses boost their rates.
Festivals and holidays in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinbagonians have a well-deserved reputation for partying. No religious event passes without festivity, and on the thirteen public holidays, banks and workplaces close and many take the opportunity to enjoy the country’s beaches. Concerts are organized, shops have holiday sales and the newspapers are full of events and articles relating to the celebrations.
Public holidays embody T&T’s cultural and ethnic diversity, acknowledging Hindus, Muslims, Baptists, Roman Catholics, trade unions and people of African and Indian descent. Every year there is a debate whether the Chinese should be given a day for Chinese New Year, and frequent discussion, too, as to whether the country has too many days off – but no politician is likely to risk offending a sector of the community by cancelling one. Though not officially recognized as a public holiday, Carnival functions like one: everything shuts down for the main days (the last Monday and Tuesday before Lent), and to a lesser degree for Ash Wednesday as well.
For more on what’s on, visit wgotrinidadandtobago.com and wvisittobago.gov.tt.
January
Carnival season Trinidad and Tobago. The festivities swing into action with the season’s first fete, usually Soca in Moka in early Jan, and the fetes, calypso tents, steel pan competitions and general buzz build in intensity as the main days approach.
Harvest FestivalTobago wvisittobago.gov.tt. Feasting and partying in Pembroke, Parlatuvier, Spring Garden and Mount Pleasant.
February
Harvest Festival Tobago wvisittobago.gov.tt. Feasting and partying in Hope, Adelphi, Buccoo and Bon Accord.
Carnival The country’s most famous festival, celebrated nationwide with fetes, pan and calypso competitions and costumed street processions. Dates are as follows: 2016 Feb 8–9; 2017 Feb 27–28; 2018 Feb 12–13; 2019 March 4–5.
March
Harvest Festival Tobago wvisittobago.gov.tt. Feasting and partying in Mount Saint George, Mason Hall and Roxborough.
Phagwah Celebrated in March or early April to honour the Indian tradition of Holi, which celebrates the arrival of spring, Phagwah is best experienced in central Trinidad. It’s not a public holiday, but many Trinis of all backgrounds participate.
Goat Races Tobago. Held at Mount Pleasant on Easter Monday, with the main event at Buccoo the following day, Tobago’s goat races are one of the highlights of T&T’s festival calendar.
Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament(wtgft.com). Big boats go after big fish from Charlotteville.
Shouter Baptist Liberation Day March 30. A relatively new public holiday in recognition of the African-based religion that suffered persecution in colonial Trinidad.
Turtle Season Trinidad and Tobago. The leatherback laying season officially opens on March 1, with guided viewing sessions at Grande Riviere, Matura and Tobago’s Turtle Beach.
Easter Weekend Trinidad. As well as attending church and baking hot cross buns, Trinidadians indulge in the “beating of the bobolee”, which involves pummelling an effigy of Judas Iscariot or, more usually these days, of any politician or public figure who’s seen to deserve a good pounding. The skies above Port of Spain’s Savannah also glitter with kites on Easter weekend, with a competition for the biggest and best.
