Trinidad and Tobago Carnival

At four in the morning the streets of Port of Spain are still dark, yet thousands of people, covered head to toe in mud, paint and chocolate, are already dancing into daybreak to soca pounding from truck sound systems. The next day the same crowds swap into feathered, rhinestone-studded costumes and cross the great stage in bands thousands strong. Trinidadians call it "the greatest show on earth", and you are not a spectator: you have to jump in.