9 Virtual Ways You Can Celebrate Trini Carnival This Week

There’s no point in denying it, the missing-Carnival-blues have fully set in. Up until now, I thought I had been handling the pandemic ok but this latest Covid related deprivation has made all the others magnified. Instead of wallowing in those feelings though, I thought it would be good to round up some ways we (especially those of us far away from T&T) can celebrate from indoors. What’s even better is that we can enjoy ourselves while supporting creatives in the Carnival industry.

Watch Carnival Centred Films & Theatre

Lavway - a theatric production by Muhammad Muwakil, Lost Tribe Carnival, Carnival Tribe & Ultimate Events - Lavway - Sunday/14/Feb

The Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival is airing a collection of films about Carnival on their website - 7/Feb- 14/Feb

Stream Some Concerts

*Patrice Roberts: Strength Of A Woman - Thursday/11/Feb @ 8pm ; free via YouTube

*Kes The Band: Iz We Concert - Saturday/13/Feb; Cost- free for Caribbean residents & $10. for international viewers

*PanTrinbago: Pan Is Spirit - Saturday/13/Feb @ 8pm; Cost $20. US

*Tempo In Sando With Skiffle Steel Orchestra - Saturday/13/Feb

*Desperadoes Steel Orchestra: Carnival Celebration - Saturday/ 13/Feb

*3 Canal : Zingaytalala - Sunday/14/Feb

*Nadia Batson - passed but you can view the show on YouTube

*Kes : We Home - passed but you can view the show on You Tube

*Faye-Ann Lyons & Bunji Garlin: Verse - passed but you can view on YouTube

*Lyrikal : Happy Place - passed but you can view the show on YouTube

See J’Ouvert In Paramin

Paramin, a village in the hills surrounding Port of Spain, is know for its J’Ouvert celebrations, especially its Blue Devil Mas. While it’s ideal to interact with the community and observe the rituals in person, this year we have the next best thing. The Next Level Devils of Paramin will be sharing a live stream of their (protocol safe) festivities on Monday, the 15th/ February @ 7pm. Register here

Vote for The (Online) Road March

The Road March prize is perhaps the most coveted prize in T&T Carnival. It’s supposed to go to the most popular song for the said year’s street parade but there’s often controversy surrounding who is awarded it. Although we will be missing prancing on the road to the competing songs, one silver lining is that this year the choice of which song wins will be entirely in the hands of us fans. We can vote for the winner via text. So go ahead and catch up on the 2021 Soca if you haven’t already.

Voting started on Friday/5/Feb and ends on Saturday/16/Feb

Click here to to see the complete list of artists in the running for the title and for more details

Listen to Soca & Calypso Online

Whether you do so via YouTube, Spotify, Apple or other music streaming apps, you can dance up a storm at home. I also like the idea of hosting a Zoom fête for loved ones. One way I have been keeping my Carnival tabanca at bay is by having my favourite songs on repeat. Let’s not stop with just listening though. This is a great time to show Calypso and Soca artistes our support by actually buying their music.

Shop From Trini Designers

Provided you have money to spare, stock up on some festive pieces for when we can go out and party again. Here are a few Trinbagonian design brands to know.

Donate To Groups Keeping The Culture Alive

Kambule1881 Film - “Kambule, written by Eintou Springer and directed by Maya Cozier, is being produced in the form of a docu-drama . It tells the story of the Canboulay Riots of 1881, which erupted after British colonial authorities violently attempted to eliminate Carnival festivities. To find out more about the organisation behind the documentary click here and to donate click here.

You can also donate to several artistes/shows via fundament.com including the following:

Sugar Aloes ft. Baron : Too Sweet Concert

visit Trinidad & Tobago Carnival World

This website will be the official online home for all things T&T Carnival. The platform will be an interactive virtual museum. It will be an access point for live and recorded streams of local performances. It will be a marketplace for services and products. It will be a source of information on Trinbagonian attractions. Such a digital space is long overdue. I am eager to log on as soon as it launches on Sunday, the 14th/February.

Catch Up On My T&T Content

Check out my Trini content including this post featuring the best novel about Trinidad & Tobago Carnival and this interview with Kes.

Putting together this post definitely helped to take my mind off what I have been missing. I’m even excited to incorporate the aforementioned suggestions into a week long celebration. Do you have any other ideas for celebrating Carnival virtually? Let me know in the comment section below.

All times listed for events are Trinidad & Tobago local times.

Photography Credit: K. Smith Photography - #1 & #8 ; Xperience Local - #2 ; Kyeon Constantine - #3 ; #4 via Bene Caribe ; #5 & #6 via Willow & Oak ; # 7 mine