What is a FETE...

If you plan on coming to Trinidad & Tobago for Carnival, then you'll hear that word a lot.

Let's get you familiar with it...

A Trini fete is:
~Usually held out of doors in a largish venue where a few hundred or thousand people get together to party down
~There are usually a few live bands playing all the seasons hot hits and in between sets a DJ fills in the gaps.
~Lots of happening looking women wearing the latest in party wear dancing themselves silly.
Ditto guys.
~Food is incidental.
~Conversations, if any, are carried out at the top of your lungs over the music.
~General feeling of joie de vivre.
~Lots of alcohol to choose from.
~Food is incidental but available from a host of people

There are two main types of fetes.

ALL INCLUSIVE FETES: where all food, drink and anything else the host may choose to throw in are included in the price of the ticket. These can be good value for money and the entertainment is usually quite hot and generally runs from 1pm - 8pm depending on location, venue, etc.


These can be some very high profile events with society figures, premium bars and upscale locations including residential areas where residents throw the party. Some of these get very elaborate and the menus include an on the spot doubles man, a coconut man, bake and shark lady and in most cases food is cooked on the spot. Food selection may vary but can rang from exotic dishes and desserts - Mediterranean, Japanese fare to local favourites Pelau, Macaroni Pie, Baked Fish, etc.


The bands/artists are usually the most popular ones usually with very sexy frontline singers and there is usually ambience and décor to suit the theme of the event or at the very least tables to put your plates on. Brian Lara All Inclusive, Amnesia, Beach House, Sanctuary-Valsayn, are some notable all inclusives. The proceeds for some of these events are usually for a cause, for example CAREC-Fete to de Max fete, QRC - Outta de Blue and tickets for all are in high demand and usually sold out with in 2 days.

SEMI-INCLUSIVE FETES: that means you pay a slightly higher price than the VIP (see below)  and much lower price than at an all inclusive.   These events may either offer drinks (limited or select brands of alcoholic and non alcoholic)  or they may offer food  with a 'pay bar'.   Semi Inclusive fetes may also have bands as well as DJ's providing the entertainment in addition to individual guest artists performances.  One known semi inclusive is Gentlemen's Ball (GMB) by La Flor.


DUTCH INCLUSIVE FETES: that means you pay a generally low price for admission, plus the contribution as outlined on the fete promoters invitation/advertising (usually alcoholic drinks -eg: Scotch, Vodka, etc).   These events also offer drinks (select brands of alcoholic and non alcoholic)  and food (local finger food to full tasty dishes).  Dutch Inclusive fetes do not usually have a band but DJ's provide the entertainment in addition to individual guest artists performances.  One such event in the Carnival Calendar is the S.O.S Dutch Inclusive.



NON INCLUSIVE FETES: that means you pay for everything as well as your entry fee. The plus to these are that they are cheaper especially if you're not a drinker. These can be some huge events and are held by promoters for instance Girl Power, Eyes Wide Shut, Soca Monarch or sometimes by large companies. The Flour Mills - Soca by the Silos have a public fete as does the Water company- WASA fete and the army - ARMY fete. Non Inclusive fetes may also have bands as well as DJ's providing the entertainment in addition to individual guest artists performances.

However, on a point to note, the non-inclusive fetes can sometimes provide a semi inclusive environment - This is known as the VIP admission.

Unlike the general admission in the same non-inclusive event, the VIP admission usually includes free selected premium drinks and soft drinks and a selected local finger foods or appetisers - generally corn soup, doubles, bake n shark, and a closer view to the stage, in addition to a separate entrance and party area. A point to note however is that in some fetes the V.I.P area can just be a separate entrance and party area. However the more pricey VIP entries attempt to give 'more value added' in that the VIP patrons may receive additional unexpected treats.

BREAKFAST PARTIES: As the name implies, it is a breakfast party. These can fall under any of the above categories, but have mainly been ALL INCLUSIVES. They start generally at 4am and continue until 1pm in some cases.
Premium alcohol, soft drinks, juices, water, tea and coffee are generally available in addition to breakfast food items which can range from sausages, eggs, ham, bacon, toasts, bake n shark, doubles, sada, corn soup, etc.

These fetes tend to not have a band performing, but more so DJs and popular local artists performing to backing tracks.

Popular Breakfast parties include Sunny Side Up.




HOUSE FETES where a few people get together and have a 'blocko' in someone's house or a neighbourhood may block off the street and throw a party.

These are smaller and rely on a DJ for music, they're easier to manage if you're not into crowds and are a good way to warm up for the bigger events.

These are generally not advertised and are by invitation only.




Fetes come in all shapes and sizes but the underlying purpose of a fete is to kick back and enjoy yourself. It is great stress relief, you dance, you hang with your friends, you drink....sort of like a big night club only less restrained and without the posing in most fetes, or until the alco kicks in and people get off their 'posing'.


Fetes, especially all inclusives are great at breaking down barriers especially one of the big ones, go to say QRC's - Outta de Blue, Brian Lara All Inclusive, and you may run into your bank manager or a Member of Parliament or even the owners of one of local restaurants. 

There are some fetes called theme fetes which request of the party goer to wear either a certain colour as in Glow(wear white), Eyes Wide Shut (wear a mask & black), Madhatters Ball (wear unusual hat), Outrageous in Red (kinda obvious)....so look out for these...
the next post will be about the winin, wining, bussing a wine........

some info courtesy: http://www.visittnt.com/ToDo/Events/Carnival2001/Fetes/index.html