Tobago Carnival tops global list of Best Winter Festivals, outshining Diwali & Las Fellas

Trinidad and Tobago: The renowned Tobago Carnival in the Caribbean has secured the top spot on the list of best winter festivals worth traveling for. International travel magazine Travel Weekly featured outstanding destinations offering unparalleled cultural insights through events and festivals in an article, and Tobago Carnival stood out.  

The list comprises eight festivals that the magazine considers worth traveling for, with Tobago Carnival ranking above Valencia's Las Fallas and India's Diwali festival, which secured second and third positions, respectively.  

According to the UK-based magazine, Tobago Carnival is known for its accessibility, vibrant costumes adorned with feathers and sequins, pulsating soca beats, and rich folkloric characters. 

Talking about the festive spirit in the region, Travel Weekly said that the Caribbean is famed for its anything-goes festivals, with Aruba, St Kitts and Nevis and St Martin among the islands whose streets fill parades and parties at different times during winter. 

It added that Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is one of the biggest and runs from March 1 to 4 this year but a more accessible alternative is the Tobago’s first standalone carnival which was launched in 2022 and is being held from October 24 to 26 this year. 

The magazine noted that the Tobago Carnival is unique as it features vibrant floats of feathered and sequined costumes, calypso concerts, stomping soca beats and free flowing rum punch so visitors can expect to see Tobago musical icons a well as folk inspired characters throughout the carnival period.  

It was further mentioned that if visitors want to dance along with other islanders in the parade, they can purchase a masquerade package through a local band complete with fun activities and costume however, it was said that watching from the sidelines is just as exciting and with the opportunity to cheer on each band and admire their costumes as they pass by and visitors can also return to their resort to relax whenever they need to rest. 

Apart from Tobago Carnival, Travel Weekly ranked Junkanoo festival in the Bahamas in this list, marking the 2nd Caribbean festival which made its place among the best festivals in the world.  

Travel Weekly’s complete list of ‘5 winter festivals worth travelling for’ 

1. Tobago Carnival, Trinidad and Tobago 
2. Las Fallas, Valencia 
3. Diwali, India 
4. Rio Carnival, Brazil 
5. Songkran, Thailand 
6. Venice Carnival, Italy 
7. Hanami, Japan 
8. Junkanoo, Bahamas