J’Ouvert literally means "daybreak" in French and is the official opening of Carnival which starts 4 am Monday morning. J’Ouvert is known for its mud, oil and paint where both men and women bathe coloured mud and/or oil all over themselves. You might see men wearing women’s slips; you will see blue or red devils and imps… Anything goes at J’Ouvert. The organized bands have big trucks carrying music speakers for the revellers to "jump up" and many steel bands take to the road with their loyal fans marching along behind them. Around 9 am the streets start to empty as people go home to wash off the mud, eat and rest a bit. Monday "pretty mas" begins around noon with everyone in part of their fancy costume or a T-shirt with their band’s logo on it. This goes on all day or as long as peoples’ stamina holds up. Tuesday is the big day with everyone coming out in their full costume and makeup; they are prepared for a long day of parading on the streets to music trucks with live bands on them and having a riotous time with their friends. "Las’ Lap" is that frenzied period between 7 pm and midnight when revellers are intent on getting in their last bit of partying before everything ends at midnight on Carnival Tuesday. Las’ Lap is very popular and is a time for very tired masqueraders to get their second wind. At midnight Tuesday Carnival is officially over and on Wednesday morning you will see the same people going faithfully to work in their suits with evidence of mud and sequins gone.

We encourage you to get into as many Carnival activities as possible, if you are here early in the season you have more opportunity to do this. See as much as you can, and we hope your Carnival memories of Trinidad are great ones.

In the month before Carnival, the Calypso tents open to showcase the Calypsonians’ new compositions for the Carnival season. From seasoned veterans to schoolchildren, there is great excitement and anticipation over the new songs. Calypsos are often very biting, satiric, social and political commentary or very risqué, comic songs full of double entendres that leave the audience roaring in the aisles. Extemporaneous Calypso is highlighted in their own concerts. In Extempo each Calypsonian must compose and perform a calypso on the spot on a given topic; the trick is to match the song to a melody called Sans Humanité. Sometimes two Calypsonians banter back and forth trying to outdo each other with each verse; this is called picong and is usually full of insults, and very funny.