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Trinidad & Tobago
Calendar Of
Events
& Public Holidays |
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2007 Calendar of Events
and Public Holidays
N.B. These dates are
subject to change annually |
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Festivals
and public holidays
Trinbagonians have a well-deserved reputation for partying. With
thirteen public holidays embodying T&T's cultural and ethnic diversity,
there are plenty of occasions to celebrate.
Carnival , held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, is the
most famous - a hedonistic two days of drinking and dancing in ornate
and revealing costumes. In Trinidad , especially in Port of Spain,
everything shuts down for two days, and increasingly three, as people
use Ash Wednesday to recover. Other popular Trinidadian celebrations are
the Islamic Hosay during May-June, and the Hindu Phagwa festival. The
festival of Diwali , celebrated nationwidein late October, honours the
Hindu goddess of light. Deyas - small oil-wick candles - are lit in
every house.
For music lovers October's World Steel Band Festival , known as "Pan is
Beautiful", features music ranging from classical to the latest calypso
tunes. In May, the month-long steel-band festival Pan Ramajay is held,
and December is the season of parang - nativity songs sung in Spanish,
sounding more Latin American than Caribbean.
In Tobago the eagerly awaited Tobago Heritage Festival occurs in the
last two weeks of July and features traditional customs, story-telling
and festivities. The Charlotteville Fisherman's Fete , held on Man O'
War Bay in the middle of July, is a wild beach party. On the Tuesday
after Easter in Buccoo, crab and goat races are held. These bizarre
spectacles are entertaining to watch - though for those betting they're
no laughing matter. |
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January 1 |
Public holiday for New Year’s Day |
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Carnival season begins.
Steelbands practise in preparation for the
Panorama competition; calypsonians test their new material on audiences. |
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Harvest Festivals at Pembroke, Parlatuvier, Spring Garden, Bethesda
and St Patrick. |
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Tobago Open and Pro Am Golf Tournament, Mt Irvine.
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February 19-20 |
It’s Carnival. A non-stop party on the streets of Scarborough. |
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Harvest Festivals at Hope, Adelphi, Buccoo, Bon Accord and Franklyn.
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Tobago Carnival Champions Concert.
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The Tobago Game Fishing
Tournament at Pigeon Point or Charlotteville. |
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March to May |
Turtle nesting season begins. March to May is traditionally the best
time to catch a glimpse of giant leatherback turtles coming up on the
beach to lay eggs. There are frequent turtle watches at Turtle Beach and Courland Bay. Some hotels have a turtle-watch service. |
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March 30 |
Shouter Baptist Liberation Day, a public holiday. |
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Good Friday and Easter
Monday are public holidays accompanied by a street party at Buccoo Beach, and the excitement of goat and crab races. |
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Easter Monday: Mt Pleasant sports and cultural activities. |
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Harvest Festivals at Charlotteville, Mt St George and Goodwood.
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The Plymouth Jazz Festival is just three years old, but its headline
acts have included Sting, Stevie Wonder and Natalie Cole, as well as
local jazz and calypso acts. Season tickets get you seats to three days
of shows by the sea. For further information: tobagojazzfest.com. |
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Angostura Sail Week:
a week of sailboat racing in the waters off Tobago, combined with a
non-stop schedule of parties, live bands and games, culminating in
prize-giving and a shore party at the end of the week. Yachties from all over the world take up the challenge and the
chance to fete. |
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Harvest Festivals at Whim, Delaford, Belle Garden and Mason Hall. |
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May
21 |
Rainbow Cup International Triathlon, Grafton Beach. Check www.rainbowtri.com. |
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May
30 |
Public holiday for Indian Arrival Day. |
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June
19 |
Public holidays for Labour Day |
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June
22 |
Corpus Christi |
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Harvest Festivals at Lambeau, Bloody Bay and Roxborough |
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June
29 |
St Peter’s Day, fishermen’s festival at Charlotteville.
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Castara Harvest Festival |
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Tobago Heritage Festival: a celebration of Tobago’s history and
culture, recreating the island’s traditions of storytelling, dance,
drama and music. It starts in mid-month and culminates in street
carnivals in Plymouth and Scarborough at month’s end. Some villages host
speech bands and carnival-type events. The Heritage Folk Fiesta, at
Signal Hill, is the climax, showcasing singing, dancing, drumming, and a tambrin band competition. |
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Tobago Games at the Dwight Yorke Stadium |
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August 1 |
Emancipat ion Day
(a public holiday) is marked by a “Tobago heritage carnival style
festival” in Scarborough. |
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Great Fete Weekend.
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The Great Race: annual power boat classic from Carenage in Trinidad to
Store Bay in Tobago. Eighty-five miles of racing in rough offshore
water, with some boats averaging 90 miles per hour or more. |
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Speyside Harvest Festival.
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The Muhtadi Drumming Festival
brings drummers from North America,
Asia, Europe and Africa to mix it up with local practitioners at Canoe
Bay and Shaw Park. See visittobago.gov.tt. |
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August 31 |
Independence Day (public holiday, 31). |
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Tobago Fest, a carnival-style festival.
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Cycling: Carib beer sponsors Tobago’s big cycling event (Carib Tobago
Cycling Festival). |
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Tobago Open Golf Tournament at Mt Irvine.
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Patience Hill Harvest
Festival. |
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Divali: the Hindu festival of light; flickering deyas in beautiful
bamboo designs. |
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Sea Festival at Mt Irvine.
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Malta Carib International Cycle Classic.
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The Blue Food Festival at L’Anse Fourmi
– entertainment and cooking
skills on show. |
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The Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan. |
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A great time for bird
watching! |
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Harvest Festivals at Plymouth, Black Rock, Les Coteaux, Moriah,
Scarborough, Montgomery. |
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December
25 |
Christmas Day (public
holiday) |
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Tobago Flying Colours annual kite flying festival at the Plymouth
Recreation Grounds between Christmas and New Year’s Day. |
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December
26 |
Boxing Day (public holiday) |
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December
31 |
Old Year’s Day |
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