Published as part of the "Carnival is love" series in the Jan/Feb 2022 edition of Caribbean Beat Is a vibe coming outta we soulEverybody take up yuh roleThis year we playing brave and boldJumbies coming out ah dey hole — Machel Montano, “Jumbie” Picture it: Port of Spain, 2007. For a plucky 20-something, it is …
Continue reading A love letter to doing everything for Trinidad Carnival
Originally written for and published in the 2017 edition of Discover Trinidad & Tobago. The Carnival season is like one large buffet. You can sample all of it over multiple courses; just some of it, by confining yourself to a few things which appeal to you; or none at all (which means leaving the restaurant altogether, …
Continue reading Carnival 2017: the who, what, where, when, why | Discover Trinidad & Tobago
Originally written for and published on the Discover Trinidad & Tobago website in 2016 There are many people and things that have landed Trinidad and Tobago in the history books…or which are just plain cool! Here are just some. And if you know more that you think should be here, feel free to give us a shout! …
Continue reading Did you know? 25+ cool facts about Trinidad & Tobago | Discover T&T
This guide was written as an assignment for The Guardian (UK), and published as An insider’s cultural guide to Port of Spain: steel, sass and sweat 1) Your city's culture in five words Steel, seascapes, sass, and sweat. 2) What sound defines your city? The hills and valleys of Port of Spain’s residential communities is a strange combination …
Continue reading An insider guide to Port of Spain, Trinidad | The Guardian (UK)
Originally written for and published on OUTLISH.com in 2012 “A breath of fresh air.” That was the phrase that numerous people used over and over, when I spoke to them after K2K’s launch of their 2013 Carnival presentation, “The Human Race” last Thursday. Twin designers Karen and Kathy Norman have introduced something to the Carnival …
Continue reading K2K: Fashion, Mas and Philanthropy | OUTLISH
Originally written for and published in Discover Trinidad & Tobago magazine in 2012 The twins behind K2K Alliance, Kathy and Karen Norman, have generated a lot of buzz around their new medium-category, all-inclusive 2012 Carnival band “The Waters – Seas of Consciousness”. They talked to Caroline Taylor about the story behind their designs; the journey to making …
Continue reading K2K Carnival’s Karen & Kathy Norman | Discover Trinidad & Tobago
Originally written for and published in the 2008 edition of Discover Trinidad & Tobago travel guide The steel pan (it’s really a bit of a faux pas to call it a steel drum!) is one of Trinidad’s proudest exports. It distinguishes itself by being the only acoustic, non-electric instrument invented in the 20th century, and one incubated right …
Continue reading The Making of a Steel Pan | Discover Trinidad & Tobago
Originally written for and published in Caribbean Beat magazine in 2007 This September, Geraldine Connor’s epic musical Carnival Messiah will be presented in a rather unusual setting. The mammoth production will be staged under a 1,000-seat big top on the lawn of the sprawling Harewood House, home of the Queen’s cousin the Earl of Harewood, and an estate …
Caroline Taylor 