Public holidays in Trinidad and Tobago explained

The government of Trinidad and Tobago officially recognises a number of holidays and celebrations from most represented groups. The following holidays are those that are officially observed in Trinidad and Tobago:[1]

Public holidays

DateEnglish NameRemarks
1 JanuaryNew Year's DayThe celebration of the first day of the Gregorian Calendar.
VariableGood FridayChristian day marking the death of Jesus Christ.
VariableEaster MondayWhen holidays fall on a Sunday, the Monday is given as a public holiday. Therefore, "Easter Monday", the Monday following Easter Sunday, is a public holiday.
30 MarchSpiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation DayFirst country in the world to recognise the Spiritual Baptist faith with a national holiday
VariableCorpus ChristiChristian feast in honour of the Holy Eucharist
30 MayIndian Arrival DayThe first country in the world to recognise Indian indentureship, though Indian laborers were indentured all over the world, including the Caribbean, Oceania, Indian Ocean, and Eastern Africa.
19 JuneLabour DayMarks the labour uprising on 19 June 1937 which is generally recognised as the start of the modern trade union movement in Trinidad and Tobago.
1 AugustEmancipation DayRecognizing emancipation from slavery. The first country in the world to recognise the end of slavery in the British colonies.
31 AugustIndependence DayThe day Trinidad and Tobago declared independence from the British
24 SeptemberRepublic DayCelebrating the day Trinidad and Tobago became a Republic.
VariableEid al-FitrEnd of Ramadan. Locally taken as an official recognition of Islam. It is one of the most important holidays on the Islamic calendar and is the most widely and publicly celebrated Muslim holiday in the country followed closely by Eid al-Adha (which is not an official holiday in the country).
VariableDivaliThe Hindu festival of lights. It celebrates Ram's return to his kingdom from 14 years exile. This festival also acknowledges Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.
25 DecemberChristmas DayThe Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
26 DecemberBoxing DayA Commonwealth gift-giving traditional holiday.

Carnival dates

The table shows a list of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival dates from 2009 to 2020.[2]

Calendar yearCarnival MondayCarnival Tuesday
2009February 23February 24
2010February 15February 16
2011March 7March 8
2012February 20February 21
2013February 11February 12
2014March 3March 4
2015February 16February 17
2016February 8February 9
2017February 27February 28
2018February 12February 13
2019March 4March 5
2020February 24February 25
2021 - No carnival due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022 - No carnival due to COVID-19 pandemic
2023February 20February 21

Other holidays

One-off holidays

References

  1. http://www.gov.tt/citizen/service.aspx?id={0CBCBA27-A93B-4834-82B9-AF0734E753B9} Official Public Holidays 2009-2011
  2. http://www.tntisland.com/dates.html Trinidad Carnival Dates