Trinidad and Tobago

Carnival Dates: February 28, 2022 to March 1, 2022 You can’t talk carnivals around the world without mentioning the Caribbean. For those with dancing fever, there is no better place to spend the pre-lent season than Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean’s largest and best known Carnival celebration dates back to the 18th century on these two southern Caribbean islands, but it was the abolishment of slavery in 1838 that really fed the festival’s cultural explosion. J’ouvert, the opening festival, takes place at 4am on the first day of Carnival, followed by an eruption of colors, energy, and music that lasts until the opening of Ash Wednesday. From the beginning to the end of the Carnival season, the one constant you’ll find is dancing – in the streets and everywhere else it’s possible. One of the most popular forms of dancing is a provocative hip-gyrating, free-for-all known as “wining,” that’s done to Soca music – although in 2022’s #MeToo conscious Carnival, you must get consent before “having a wine” with a stranger.