The Kitchen Carnival

The Kitchen Carnival celebrates the ‘Old Mas’ traditions of Trinidad and Tobago, using recycled household materials and performing in our own kitchens.

You can enjoy all of the Kitchen Carnival activities from home using things from your kitchen, scissors and a glue stick. We also explore the history of Carnival as a response by enslaved African peoples to the elaborate balls held by slave owners, making costumes from whatever they could find, and mocking the behaviour of the wealthy.

In 2023 we are celebrating the tradition of Pierrot Grenade, who is the Carnival jester and satirises the French character Pierrot. Pierrot Grenade is a popular figure in the Carnivals of Trinidad and Tobago, but originates from Grenada, an island to the north-west.

• Traditionally, Pierrot Grenades wear costumes made from attaching strips of recycled materials or rags, and small tins or boxes filled with stones that rattle, to a long-sleeved full-length robe that is often made from sacking.
• Traditional Pierrot Grenades disguised their faces with wire masks, and/or wore old hats with shrubbery attached.
• Today, Pierrot Grenades may make their costumes from new strips of fabric, often brightly coloured satins, and attach strings of buttons to make sounds. They wear hoods and paint their faces to disguise themselves, and usually wear gloves.
• Pierrot Grenades also work with words and storytelling, often splitting up a word and creating a story from the individual syllables – they may carry dictionaries and thesauruses as part of their costumes. When Pierrot Grenades meet, they battle to see who is the best wordsmith.
• You can watch some modern Pierrot Grenades on YouTube here, here, and here.
• Pierrot Grenades use allegory within their story telling, which allows controversial topics to be addressed symbolically. You can find out more about allegories here, here and here.
• You can find out how to make a Kitchen Carnival Pierrot Grenade costume here.
• More Pierrot Grenade activities for you to enjoy in your own time will be published on this page soon. You can create your own performances for TikTok, YouTube, Insta etc – share them with us and we will promote them.

All Disabled people and their supporters are welcome to join our free summer workshops led by international Carnival artist Clary Salandy. Contact us for more information: info@together2012.org.uk