Calypso de El Callao

What it is

Calypso de El Callao is a musical celebration held in Bolívar state, Venezuela, as part of the carnival season. People in the town of El Callao shorten the name to Calipso. The music descends from calypso, a song tradition carried to Venezuela from Trinidad and Tobago, and it now sounds distinctly local: Venezuelan folk styles and wider Caribbean influences meet in the same songs. Performers sing in Spanish, in Caribbean English, or in both languages in one piece. The tradition belongs to carnival itself, a festival the West Indian community of El Callao also brought with them and which remains the setting for the music.

Origins and history

In the 19th century, people left Trinidad and other Caribbean islands and settled in Venezuela. Many went to El Callao, where the gold mines drew workers, and their music travelled with them. Calypso took root in the city and became popular there. Over time it absorbed local and regional sounds, so the songs heard in El Callao are a mix of Venezuelan and Caribbean styles rather than a copy of what arrived. The settlers also brought Carnival, the festival season in which this music is performed. The town's own name for the genre, Calipso, shows how fully it became part of local life.

How it is kept

Carnival in El Callao falls in February and March. During those months the town fills with calypso, and competitions are held between performers. The best are crowned Calypso King and Queen for the year. Bands play together and singers take their turns, and crowds follow the songs through the streets. The contest gives the music a focus each season and carries the titles on from one year to the next. It is a local tradition performed by people who have grown up with it, and the town treats it as one of its best-known cultural practices.

Instruments and sound

Calypso de El Callao uses a mix of instruments. Performers play drums, cuatro, maracas, guitar, bandolín, violin and steel drum, so percussion and strings of Caribbean and Venezuelan kinds are found together in the same band. Singers carry the words, in Spanish, in Caribbean English, or in both languages at once. Because the genre grew out of calypso from Trinidad and Tobago and then mixed with Venezuelan folk music, the sound heard in El Callao is not quite the calypso of anywhere else, and the town regards it as a tradition of its own.

How Calypso de El Callao is kept

El Callao keeps the tradition during carnival, in February and March. Bands and singers prepare through the season and then perform for the town. Competitions are staged, and the winners are crowned Calypso King and Queen. Music is played on drums, cuatro, maracas, guitar, bandolín, violin and steel drum, and the songs are sung in Spanish, in Caribbean English, or in both. Crowds gather to listen and to follow the performers. Carnival itself came to El Callao with the West Indian community, and the calypso competitions have become one of the season's main events.

When and where

Carnival in El Callao falls in the months of February and March, and the calypso belongs to that season. It is kept every year, in Bolívar state, Venezuela. The competitions take place during these carnival months, and the season ends with a Calypso King and Queen being crowned.

Calypso de El Callao belongs to the city of El Callao, in Bolívar state, Venezuela. That is where the tradition formed and where the carnival competitions are held each year. It is strongest there, kept by the town's West Indian community and by other residents who have taken it up.

What Calypso de El Callao means

For the people of El Callao, calypso is a living part of carnival rather than a piece of history. It began with Trinidadians and other Caribbean islanders who settled in the city, and it has stayed with their descendants and neighbours. Singing in Caribbean English, in Spanish, or in both at once keeps the memory of that migration in daily use. Being crowned Calypso King or Queen is a public honour, and the town treats the music as one of its own cultural traditions.

Questions people ask about Calypso de El Callao

See also

Feria del SolMérida's February fair: bullfights, parades, concerts and the Queen of the SunDay of the Holy InnocentsA 28 December day of pranks and fake news, kept in the Spanish-speaking worldCavalcade of MagiA parade of the Three Magi through town on Epiphany Eve, with sweets thrown to the crowdColeoA Venezuelan and Colombian sport where riders chase cattle to snatch tails and pull them down.

Good reading and sources

• Calypso de El Callao on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.