Trinidad & Tobago Festival and Events Calendar
Trinidad and Tobago are festival islands where there is always something to celebrate. If you're an overseas visitor planning a vacation or holiday where you want to immerse yourself in the culture and lifestyle of Trinidad and Tobago, there are countless opportunities on the islands' diverse cultural calendar around which you can plan your trip. Here are some of the most distinctive festivals and holidays.
NB: Many dates are set just before the events are scheduled, and are always subject to change or cancellation. For more, see our Trinidad and Tobago Festivals sections.
January
- 1 (public holiday): New Year's Day
- Carnival season begins
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Pembroke, Parlatuvier, Spring Garden, Plymouth and Mt Pleasant
- Sailing season begins
- Carnival Educative Arts Festival (Tobago)
February
- Carnival countdown begins
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Hope, Adelphi, Buccoo, Franklyn and Bon Accord
- Carnival Educative Arts Festival (Tobago)
- 12: Soca Monarch finals (Trinidad)
- 13: Panorama finals (Trinidad)
- 14: Dimanche Gras (Trinidad); Chinese New Year (year of the Tiger)
- 1–16: Carnival Monday and Tuesday Carnival cooldowns
- 19–21: Tobago Carnival Regatta (Tobago)
March
- Argyle Falls cool down (Tobago)
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Mt St George, Mason Hall, Roxborough, Bon Accord. Missionary Love Feast in Moriah on Palm Sunday
- 20: Jazz Artists on the Greens (St Augustine, Trinidad)
- Phagwa (Holi)
- Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament
- 4–7: Trinidad & Tobago Golf Open
- Turtle nesting season begins
- 30 (public holiday): Spiritual “Shouter” Baptist Liberation Day commemorates the end of the colonial ban on the “Shouter” Baptist faith, a fusion of African and Christian traditions, with performances and religious observances
April
- 2–5 (with public holidays): long Easter weekend features hot cross buns, horse racing at the Santa Rosa track in Arima (Trinidad), and goat and crab races in Tobago’s Mt Pleasant (Monday) and Buccoo (Tuesday).
- 23–25: Tobago Jazz Experience
- Jazz Artists on the Greens (Pigeon Point, Tobago)
- Pan Jazz in de Yard
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Goodwood
- Jazz on the Beach (Tobago)
- Pan in the 21st Century
- Point Fortin Borough Day (Trinidad): full week of J’ouvert, mas, pan and parties
- 11th Annual Trade & Investment Convention (Trinidad)
May
1 & 2: Festival Chaguaramas (Trinidad)- Beacon Cycling Series
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Whim, Delaford, Belle Garden and Mason Hall
- 15: Jazzpoint 10: Music to Make You Think (Naparima Bowl, San Fernando, Trinidad)
- La Divina Pastora (Siparia, Trinidad)
- Maypole Festival (Tobago)
- 29: Rainbow Cup International Triathlon (Tobago)
- Taste Trinidad & Tobago: celebrates the islands’ culinary dexterity
- Tobago Culinary Festival
- Rapsofest: the Power of the Oral Traditions
- Trinidad & Tobago Fashion Week
- 30 (public holiday): Indian Arrival Day
June
- Ganga Dhaara River Festival: honours the descent of India’s sacred River Ganges (Blanchisseuse, Trinidad)
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Lambeau, Bloody Bay and Roxborough
- Junior Tobago Heritage Festival
- St Peter’s Day Fisherman’s Festival (Tobago)
- 3 (public holiday): Corpus Christi celebrated by Catholics in honour of the sacramental Eucharist
- 4–6: Red Earth Festival (Blanchisseuse, Trinidad)
- 4–12: WeBeat Festival (St James, Trinidad)
- 19 (public holiday): Labour Day, marked by trade union marches and gatherings in Fyzabad (Trinidad)
July
- Charlotteville Fisherman’s Fest (Tobago)
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Castara and Black Rock
- Jazz on the Hill (Trinidad)
- Prime Minister’s Charity Golf Classic (Tobago)
- Soca for Summer and other big concerts featuring local and international stars
- South Caribbean Open Golf Tournament (Tobago)
- Steelpan Music Festival (Trinidad)
- Tobago Games
- Tobago Heritage Festival
- Tourism Adventure Park or T&T Road Trip: displays, tours, and live entertainment
- 30–Aug 4: 11th Great Fête Weekend (Tobago)
August
1 (public holiday): Emancipation Day- Arima Borough Day: J’ouvert, steelpan, calypso and parties marking the borough’s anniversary (Trinidad)
- Best Village competition begins, runs through November
- Carib Great Race
- Castara Fisherman’s Fête (Tobago)
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Speyside
- Muhtadi International Drumming Festival: started in Canada by Trinidad-born Muhtadi Thomas, and highlights different cultures around the call of the drums (Tobago)
- Osun River Festival: marked by Orisa devotees celebrating the goddess of love, fertility and inland waters
- 24: Santa Rosa Festival (Arima, Trinidad)
- 31 (public holiday): Independence Day
September
- TBD (public holiday): Eid-ul-Fitr
- 2–26: Taste T&T Culinary Festival
- FIFA Under-17 Women's world championship: T&T plays host
- International Open Water Swim
- Horse racing classics in Arima: Royal Oak Derby, Santa Rosa Oaks and Caribbean Champion Stakes (Trinidad)
- Panyard Sensations
- Parang season: begins with competition at month’s end, runs through December (Trinidad)
- Tobago Fest: parties, street parade and J’ouvert
- Tobago International Gospel Festival
- Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival
- Turtle watching season ends
- 24 (public holiday): Republic Day
- 25: San Fernando Jazz Festival (Trinidad)
October
14: Amerindian Heritage Day, where descendants from around the region gather for a smoke ceremony and street procession in Arima (Trinidad)- Blue Food Festival (Tobago)
- Coast-2-Coast Adventure Race (Trinidad)
- European Film Festival (Trinidad)
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Patience Hill
- National Tourism Week
- Ramleela festival
- Steelpan & Jazz Festival (Trinidad)
November
- TBD (public holiday): Divali
- Best Village competition finals
- Harvest Festivals (Tobago): Plymouth, Black Rock, Les Coteaux, Moriah, Scarborough, Montgomery
- Pan is Beautiful XII
- Scarborough Cup Golf Tournament (Tobago)
- Tobago Christmas Caravan
- University of the West Indies International Half Marathon (Trinidad)
December
Assembly Day: Tobago House of Assembly celebrates and awards Tobagonians’ achievements, along with exhibitions and a sports and recreation day- Paramin Parang Festival (Trinidad)
- Tobago Flying Colours: annual kite flying festival in Plymouth
- Hosay (Trinidad)
- 25 (public holiday): Christmas Day
- 26 (public holiday): Boxing Day, marked with horse racing and parties
