With an explosion of colour, art, massive masquerade bands, spectacular costumes, pulsating music, and the high partying stamina, Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival is one of the greatest show on earth. It is an annual event held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
Carnival is the most significant event on the islands' cultural and tourism calendar, with numerous cultural events such as "band launch fetes" running in the lead up to the street parade on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. It is said that if the islanders are not celebrating it, then they are preparing for it, while reminiscing about the past year's festival. Traditionally, the festival is associated with calypso music (brought by African slaves imported to that Caribbean island to work on sugar plantations) however, recently Soca music has replaced calypso as the most celebrated type of music. Costumes, stick-fighting and limbo competitions are also important components of the festival.