16 Tips To Survive Carnival Tuesday In Trinidad And Tobago.

After the success of the last Trinidad and Tobago Carnival piece “10 Tips For Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Virgins” I decided to go a bit deeper and cover Carnival Tuesday itself, but from a newbie perspective. Carnival Tuesday is the ‘day’ Trinbagonians, tourists and Mas lovers in general looks forward to ALL Year. It’s like the Super Bowl, Olympics 100 m race and World Cup final all wrapped up into one! Let’s just say it’s GRAND!

If it’s your first time taking part in a band (playing mas) on the road here are my 16 tips to surviving Carnival Tuesday, based on personal experience and observations. I’m sure you veteran masqueraders will relate and have some points to add.. please do so in the comment section directly below.

• MOST IMPORTANT! Allocate transport back to your house, hotel or base and HAVE a back up plan. In Trinidad we have a saying “Make sure yuh walk with vex money“. Simply means having some cash on your person in the event you need to hire a ride home. Also, have the address of where you’re staying and a contact number of someone close to you on hand.
• Be prepared for a LONG day, should you decide to start with your band of choice (at their designated start time.. expect delays as well)
• Leave you inhibitions at HOME. DO NOT accept drinks from strangers, DO NOT wear expensive jewelry and DO NOT go gallivanting into areas you know can be a bit shady.. try to always be with a companion. Be SMART!
• Don’t try to get your money’s worth in the first hour. Yes I know it’s all-inclusive and the assortment on non-stop liquor will be tempting, but kindly pace yourself.
• Most all-inclusive bands will serve breakfast – eat! It will set the tone for the day.

• Comfortable shoes.. ladies add insoles to those stylish boots (boots/shoes will  most likely get ruined). And do wear the boots/shoes in advance so you can break them out.
• Sun screen – no shade and intense Caribbean sun (unless it rains) is NO joke! Remember ladies if you wear face jewelry, you can have cheetah looking tan lines the day after. I personally wear a hat and encourage you to do the same. A wet bandanna works great on your neck as well.
• Break for lunch and to recoup a bit. DO NOT go brave and start eating things you’ve never had before. The last thing you want to experience is stomach issues. Stick to what you know and eat light if you know you’ve got a ‘weak’ stomach.

• Be prepared for CROWDS and forget personal space. This is CARNIVAL!
• LOUD! Yes it will be loud behind the BIG Trucks.. you can wear ear plugs, take breaks or simply move a little further back.
• Hydrate… liquor does NOT count and make use of the cooling stations (snow cones, popsicle, water and cool water mist areas)
• Bathrooms – most all-inclusive bands will have roving bathrooms (on trucks) but they can be messy, stink from the heat and you will encounter long lines. Walk with some small packs of tissue to be safe.
• You will be wined on.. it’s not an abuse thing. Say no and said winer will politely say thanks and move on.
• Best to go with a group of friends and have designated times and areas to meet in the event you get separated form each other. Check Bmobile or Digicel for relatively cheap temporary phones.
• Take a look at your band’s route so you can have an idea of where you’ll be traveling throughout the day. In the event you get sidetracked (pause for an extended wine), most bands will have a number you can call or text and they will give you the current location of the band.
• Be prepared to WAIT as you get ready to hit the “Stage”. One year we waited in the blazing hot sun for about 90 mins.

The first year my daughters were introduced to Trinidad Carnival they thought they were prepared for it. By 1 pm they were already hitting the pavement to rest up.. as mentioned the sun is NO joke!