Although Carnival celebrations in Rio and New Orleans may be more well-known internationally, Carnival in Trinidad is usually considered the best in the World.

Officially, Carnival takes place on the Monday and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday. Celebrations in Trinidad however begin long before that time. Once the holy festivities of Christmas wrap up for the year, the focus turns immediately to Carnival and the party-like atmosphere slowly begins to infiltrate the land.

The first sign that Carnival is in the air is the new music of the season being played over the airwaves and virtually everywhere else. The pulsating beats and hypnotic rhythms of Calypso, ex-tempo, and soca music encourage revelers to "chip" or dance their way along the street. The distinctive sounds of the steelbands echo in the air. Of course partying is the objective of Carnival and in recent years more modern musical styles have been added to the festivities, encouraging musicians and bands from all genres and levels of infamy to participate in the merry-making.

In the capital City of Port-of-Spain the main portion of Carnival is a five day affair. On Friday, the festivities begin with the King & Queen contest. On Saturday it's Panorama, the annual steelpan competition. Sunday marks Dimanche Gras; J'Ouvert, or the opening ceremony, is Monday and on Tuesday of course is the famous Parade of the Bands.

Tuesday is the big celebration day, the day to "play mas" or dress up in costume. There are a vast number of masquerade bands or "mas bands" to join up with and each band designs their costumes based on a particular theme. One of the reasons that Carnival in Trinidad is held in such high esteem is that the creativity and artistry in the costumes and displays are second to none. Many bands spend the entire year designing the costumes for the upcoming season and the competition is fierce. Rest assured, there is a band to suit any style or comfort level and being a "hard-body" is not necessary in playing mas.

Historically, Carnival finds it origins in religion, amazing as that may seem. Revelers would take this opportunity to party and celebrate and have as much fun as they possibly could before undertaking the deprivation of the Lenten season. It was considered a celebration of the common folk; members of the upper classes declined to participate. Many of the popular characters of the Carnival were created during that time, such as the bodacious Dame Lorraine, the devilish Jab-Jab, the satirical Pierrot Grenade and the Midnight Robber. Many of these characters are still widely represented and are favorites in modern Carnival celebrations.

Today, Carnival is an entirely unifying event. People from all walks of life come from miles around to take part. The barriers of status, income, and inhibitions are not only broken but downright shattered during the time of Carnival. For a vacation that is packed with entertainment, exhaustive revelry, and casting off of your inhibitions to experience the time of your life, it is hard to imagine a more appropriate destination than Trinidad at Carnival time!