When is Trinidad Carnival 2027?
Mon 8 - Tue 9 Feb 2027
J'ouvert 2027:
Image credit: Jhaye-Q Shares, via Pexels, Pexels License
The four days to know for 2027
All times are Atlantic Standard Time (AST, UTC-4). Trinidad does not change its clocks, so if you are flying in from North America or Europe, check the time difference for February.
Dimanche Gras
The big Sunday-night show before the road.
Carnival Monday
J'ouvert from around 4:00 AM AST. By mid-morning the mud washes off and bands take to Port of Spain again in Monday wear.
Carnival Tuesday
The Parade of the Bands: full costume, music trucks and judging points from morning into the evening.
Ash Wednesday
Lent begins. Carnival is over for another year.
Carnival dates for the next ten years
Planning a first trip, or a reunion with the whole family? Between 2027 and 2036, the earliest Carnival Monday is Monday 5 February 2035 and the latest is Monday 4 March 2030.
| Carnival | Monday and Tuesday | Dimanche Gras | Ash Wednesday | Easter Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027Next up | Mon 8 - Tue 9 Feb 2027 | |||
| 2028 | Mon 28 - Tue 29 Feb 2028 | |||
| 2029 | Mon 12 - Tue 13 Feb 2029 | |||
| 2030 | Mon 4 - Tue 5 Mar 2030 | |||
| 2031 | Mon 24 - Tue 25 Feb 2031 | |||
| 2032 | Mon 9 - Tue 10 Feb 2032 | |||
| 2033 | Mon 28 Feb - Tue 1 Mar 2033 | |||
| 2034 | Mon 20 - Tue 21 Feb 2034 | |||
| 2035 | Mon 5 - Tue 6 Feb 2035 | |||
| 2036 | Mon 25 - Tue 26 Feb 2036 |
Why the date moves every year
Carnival is the last big celebration before Lent, the Christian season of fasting that leads up to Easter. Lent lasts 40 days, but Sundays are not counted, so it starts on Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter Sunday. Carnival is the Monday and Tuesday just before that.
Easter itself is a moveable feast. Churches set it as the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, using fixed church tables rather than the real sky. That means Easter can land anywhere from 22 March to 25 April.
Count back 48 days and Carnival Monday can fall anywhere from 2 February to 8 March, a day later for the earliest dates in a leap year. Most years it lands in February. The next time it slips into March is 2030, when Carnival is on Mon 4 - Tue 5 Mar 2030.
- -49 days from EasterDimanche Gras
- -48 days from EasterCarnival Monday
- -47 days from EasterCarnival Tuesday
- -46 days from EasterAsh Wednesday
- 0 days from EasterEaster Sunday
Where Carnival happens
Image credit: Grueslayer, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Port of Spain: the heart of it
The capital is where most bands play. On Monday and Tuesday they move through the downtown streets behind their music trucks and cross the official judging points, with the big stage at the Queen's Park Savannah. The Savannah also hosts the Panorama large band final and Dimanche Gras, and J'ouvert bands fill the city before dawn on Monday.
San Fernando and the rest of Trinidad
Carnival is not only a capital-city affair. San Fernando, the main city of the south, has its own celebrations, and towns across the island hold their own J'ouvert, from Tunapuna and Sangre Grande in the east to Chaguanas and Couva in central Trinidad.
Tobago Carnival is its own festival
Tobago does not wait for February. Tobago Carnival is a separate, newer festival held later in the year, so if you want to play mas on both islands, plan two trips. See the Tobago Carnival dates and schedule.
Meet Fog Angels, a Tobago bandThe season, from Boxing Day to Ash Wednesday
Carnival itself is two days, but the season around it is much longer. For 2027, counting from Boxing Day to the last lap on Carnival Tuesday, that is 46 days of build-up.
Fete season starts
The parties begin just after Christmas: breakfast fetes, all-inclusives where food and drinks come with the ticket, and coolers where you bring your own.
January to Carnival week
Tents, panyards and fetes
Calypso tents put on their shows, steelbands spend weeks in their panyards learning a single Panorama arrangement, and the fete calendar gets busier every weekend.
Fri 5 Feb to Sun 7 Feb
Carnival weekend
The Canboulay re-enactment before dawn on Friday, Panorama finals on Saturday night, and Dimanche Gras on Sunday.
Mon 8 Feb and Tue 9 Feb
The road
J'ouvert at dawn on Monday, Monday mas, then the Parade of the Bands in full costume on Tuesday.
Ash Wednesday
Lent begins and the season is over.
Carnival dates: your questions
When is Trinidad Carnival 2027?
Carnival Monday and Tuesday fall on Monday 8 February 2027 and Tuesday 9 February 2027. J'ouvert starts in the early hours of Monday, and Dimanche Gras is the night before, on Sunday 7 February 2027.
What month is Trinidad Carnival in?
February, or occasionally early March. Carnival Monday and Tuesday are set by Easter, so they move between early February and early March. Over the next ten years the earliest Carnival Monday is Monday 5 February 2035 and the latest is Monday 4 March 2030.
What time does J'ouvert 2027 start?
J'ouvert traditionally starts at around 4:00 AM AST on Carnival Monday, Monday 8 February 2027. The official opening time is confirmed by government order each year, and bands gather earlier in the dark, so check your band's own schedule.
Why does the date of Carnival change every year?
Carnival is tied to Easter, which moves. Carnival Monday is always 48 days before Easter Sunday and Ash Wednesday is 46 days before it. In 2027 Easter Sunday is Sunday 28 March 2027, which puts Carnival on Mon 8 - Tue 9 Feb 2027.
When is Trinidad Carnival 2028?
Carnival 2028 is on Monday 28 February 2028 and Tuesday 29 February 2028, with Ash Wednesday on Wednesday 1 March 2028.
When does the Carnival season start?
The fete season gets going just after Christmas, from around Boxing Day, and builds all the way to Carnival Tuesday. For 2027 that means 46 days from Saturday 26 December 2026 to Tuesday 9 February 2027.
Chasing Carnival all year?
Trinidad-style carnivals run from Notting Hill to Toronto and beyond. See when each one happens.
Keep exploring
- GuideFirst-timer's guideDay by day, what to wear, etiquette and staying safe on the road.Read more
- EventsUpcoming fetes and eventsLaunches, breakfast fetes, all-inclusives and J'ouvert, with dates and venues.Read more
- HistoryHistory of CarnivalWhy Carnival comes before Lent, and how it became Trinidad's national festival.Read more