Nightlife in Port of Spain

Port of Spain after dark runs on its own logic. First-timers who expect action before 10pm will sit in empty bars. The city's nightlife is Trinidadian to the bone. Rum, soca at conversation-killing volume, and the social ease of a culture that has thrown one of the world's great parties every February for centuries. Energy is concentrated, not scattered. Ariapita Avenue in Woodbrook and the streets of St. James host the action. On a Thursday or Friday night these corridors fill organically. What sets Port of Spain apart is the rum shop. These are not bars. Small, fluorescent-lit, unpretentious. They serve as neighborhood social glue like an English village pub. Locals stand at the counter or pull plastic chairs outside. They drink Carib beer or Angostura rum at prices that make you feel slightly guilty. A television shows cricket or football. Someone always talks. These places rarely have names on the sign. They're often the most memorable part of a night out. The polished end sits along Ariapita Avenue. Restaurant-bars glide from dinner into nightlife. A handful of clubs handle the late-late hours. Port of Spain lacks a large club district. What exists has character, when live music plays. Carnival season, from after Christmas through February or March, changes everything. Fetes happen almost nightly. The bass from sound systems hits your chest.