Tobago Carnival – First Time

Trinbagonians have been starved of Carnival for more than two long years because of COVID-19. So when the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) announced that they were launching a special Tobago Carnival, independent of Trinidad’s mega-spectacle, then of course the party-goers headed for the sister island.

A friend sent me a flyer for a band launch at the popular Shore Things Café near Scarborough. This was just two weeks before the Carnival and the costumes (primarily a packet of Kool-Aid and another of cocoa) seemed more suited for J’Ouvert rather than ‘pretty mas’. The cost per head was only TT$50 and included beer and water so it was impossible to lose on this deal. I got my money’s worth at the band launch as complementary beer was in ice and pelau was dished out. This was a fun bunch of people, mostly over 50, and they hoped to get as many as 30 in their band.

So I joined up in the Patriots section because it actually came with some cloth – cut up left-over Independence Day bunting to do with as we liked. My friends and I chose to cut a hole in the middle and wear the red, white and black cloth like a poncho. Costume organised!

As the Carnival weekend approached, I noticed a large influx of people (mostly Trinis) to the island, traffic jams appeared, and crowds on the beaches. The sounds of distant soca music filled the night air. Unfortunately, the country was on an orange level 4 alert for stormy weather and I wondered how the various events would survive. I should not have worried. The revelers simply put up umbrellas and danced in the rain along with lightening and thunder at the concert parties (fetes) leading up to the big days. Unlike in Trinidad, no days off work were given to enjoy the Carnival. So J’Ouvert took place early on Saturday morning with ‘pretty mas’ scheduled for 10am on Sunday. They chose separate venues for these two events, presumably so they wouldn’t have to clean up after mud and paint mas. There was also a night mas on the Friday.

Sunday arrived and my little group gathered our supplies to carry with us – water bottle, rum punch cup, waterproof bag to hold money, car keys, etc., and a cap to protect against the elements. We also stashed a bag each in the car to hold a towel and a change of clothes as bad weather was forecast. It turned out to be perfect carnival weather – overcast but no actual rain. We met up at the mas camp (Shore Things Café) at about 9:30am and got a lift to Scarborough a few minutes away in time for the start of the parade at 10am.

But nothing was happening. We passed a long line of music trucks at the start point outside Shaw Park Cultural Complex. But no music and hardly any people. We ended up walking the length of the seafront to view the amazing Hinkson murals set up along Wilson Street. Jackie Hinkson had created this amazing work of art and erected them near his home in Trinidad when Carnival was cancelled in 2021 because of the pandemic. Now he had brought them to Tobago, one group of paintings in Scarborough and the other on the Milford Road where J’Ouvert took place.

What a treasure! I hope they weren’t damaged by disrespectful revelers.

On the way back to the start area, we saw that workmen were still setting up the ‘stage’ which was a small newly-paved area jutting out into the harbour. At Shaw Park, loud music was now playing. We hung around with other band members and it wasn’t until after noon that calls were made for people to get in their sections and the music trucks started to move. I marveled at some of the elaborate costumes and also at the brevity of some of them. Some ladies dispensed with a bikini and just wore beads, one beauty also tottering on stilettos.

We were most fortunate to be in the first group of costume bands to set off, and we were placed immediately behind the Trinidad All Stars sailor band. Our band was called BambooMania and we joined in with the steelband playing on their long truck, drumming our sticks of bamboo in rhythm on the ground, also beating short bamboo sticks, and shaking chac chacs. We thought we complemented All Stars very well (they’re only one of the top steelbands ever in the world!).

Here’s a video of this experience. Note the Spice band from Grenada behind our group. They were covered in clothes, including their complete heads. That must have been hot!

This felt like true Carnival but then we came to a halt again at the bottom of the road. Although we could still enjoy the pan music or walk along a bit to hear the DJ trucks, it was tiring hanging around. So at about 2pm we called someone to come pick us up at the top of the road to take us back to our car. We were tired but glad we took part in the inaugural Tobago Carnival.

It was a good first effort and we had fun. They need to be more time conscious as I gather all the events started a couple of hours late. They should also consider more convenient parking arrangements within Scarborough for spectators, to encourage them to come. It can only improve, so I look forward to next year’s Carnival in Tobago. Well done, THA!