From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Caribbean Carnival is an event that takes place in many of the Caribbean islands annually. Caribbean Carnival features traditions and various aspects of culture which revolves around music and other festival events.

Not about Ferris Wheels, theme park rides, or other events that use the word "Carnival" the Caribbean's Carnivals all have several common themes based on folklore, culture, and religion.

Carnival tradition is based on five disciplines: Mas or Masquerade, Steel Pan, Calypso, Soca and Sound system (DJ).

Contents 1 Old-Time Carnival characters 2 Competitions 3 Music 3.1 Music Styles 4 Local Carnivals 5 International Caribbean Carnivals 5.1 Canada 5.2 Germany 5.3 United Kingdom 5.4 United States 6 See also 7 External links

• Burrokeets
• Cow Bands
• Dame Lorraine
• Fancy Indians
• Jab Jab & Jab Molassie
• Midnight Robber
• Moko jumbies
• Pierrot Grenade

• Calypso Monarch
• Chutney Soca Monarch
• Soca Monarch
• Panorama
• Roadmarch
• Band of the Year
• Queen of the Bands
• King of the Bands
• Junior Carnival (Kiddies Carnival)

• Cadence music
• Calypso
• Chutney
• Extempo / Sing Down
• Junkanoo
• Kaiso
• Kompa
• Parang
• Punta
• Ringbang
• Salsa
• Soca
• Spouge
• Steelpan
• Tuk
• Tumba
• Zouk

The following islands celebrate carnival; approximate dates are given for the concluding festivities on each island. (On some islands, most notably Trinidad and Tobago, the carnival season lasts for over a month, and the exact dates vary from year to year.)

• Anguilla (first week in August)
• Antigua and Barbuda (first week in August)
• Aruba (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• Barbados (first Monday in August)
• Belize (typically Saturday nearest to September 10)
• Bonaire (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• British Virgin Islands
  Jost Van Dyke, Old Year's Night (New Year's Eve to New Year's Morning)
  Tortola, BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival (seven days at the start of Spring)
  Tortola, BVI Music Festival (end of May)
  Tortola, BVI Emancipation Festival (first Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in August)
  Virgin Gorda, Easter Festival (typically Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nearest April 15)
• Cayman Islands (after Ash Wednesday)
• Cuba
  • Havana (end of July)
  • Santiago de Cuba (end of July)
  • Varadero (end of July)
• Curaçao (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• Dominica (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• Dominican Republic (late February)
• Grenada (early August)
• Guadeloupe (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• Guyana
• Haiti (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• Jamaica, (late March, early April)
• Martinique (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• Puerto Rico (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• Saba (early August)
• Saint-Barthélemy (Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• Saint Croix (first week in January)
• Saint John (July 4)
• Saint Lucia (July)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis (roughly New Year's Day)
• Saint-Martin (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)
• Saint Thomas (last Friday and Saturday in April)
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (July, August)
• Sint Eustatius (early August)
• Sint Maarten (roughly a month after Easter)
• Trinidad and Tobago (Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)

• Ottawa, ON / "Caribe-Expo" - In the city of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada.
• Toronto, ON / "Caribana" - Drawing close to a million visitors to the city, Caribana is known as the best Caribbean carnival outside of Trinidad and Tobago.

• Birmingham, "Birmingham Heritage Festival"
• Leicester, "Leicester Caribbean Carnival"
• London, "Notting Hill Carnival" - On Notting Hill located in London, England.
• Leeds, "Leeds West Indian Carnival"

• Atlanta, GA - Last weekend in May, usually falls on Memorial Day weekend
• Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Caribbean-American Festival held every July in Druid Hill Park neighborhood in Baltimore. www.bcacarnival.net
• Boston, MA - Last Saturday in August, Dorchester, MA
• Cambridge, MA - Cambridge Carnival International, Last Sunday in August - Held in Kendall Square
• Chicago, IL - Chicago CARIFETE, Third Saturday in August, on the Midway Plaisance in the confines of the University of Chicago Campus.
• Austin, TX - Carnaval Brasileiro, February 3
• Houston, TX - Usually the weekend aroun fourth of July.
• Long Island, NY - Weekend after Labor Day Carnival - Held in Hempstead
• Miami, FL - The second weekend in October, Columbus Day weekend.
• New York, NY - Labor Day Carnival - Held in Brooklyn, along Eastern Parkway, with over 2.3 million vistors annually
• Orlando, FL -
• Tacoma, WA - PLU campus Carnival, near Fat Tuesday
• Norfolk,Virginia Beach, Va - www.virginiacaribfest.com
• Washington D.C. -DC Caribbean Festival usually between these dates : June 16-24 (every June). Run through Gerogia Ave., Missouri Ave. all the way to Barry Place. dccaribbeancarnival.com

• Caribbean
• List of islands in the Caribbean
• J'ouvert
• List of calypso musicians
• List of chutney musicians
• Soca musicians
• Antigua Carnival

• Caribbean Carnivals database
• Barbados Crop Over
• Info about Moko Jumbies and a USA band
• itzcaribbean.com - Carnivals