Nightlife In Port of Spain
According to the Oxford Dictionary, Nightlife is defined as social activities or entertainment available in a town or city. However, this definition is too modest a term to describe nightlife in the city of Port of Spain. One does not need to visit a club, waiting for admission because they city entrance is the only admission needed to experience Nightlife in Port of Spain. Nightlife in the city is unique to Trinidad because of the generated atmosphere by the locals, facilitated by the city streets creating a space whereby one could feel relaxed, and not pressured by large crowds. This week’s blog post would attempt if possible, to describe the matchless nature of nightlife in the city of Port of Spain.
Nightlife in Port of Spain has a distinctive experience to each person, as there are various clubs and hotspots throughout the city, but what makes it ever so creative, is that one does not need to pay an admission price to a club, have a particular dress code or even want to socialize with friends because the nightlife is lived in the streets. It is not an experience of citizens having a party in the streets, disabling traffic and behaving lawless, but thrives on the city sidewalks, even extending to the separation space between road and pavement. This unique space, intended to channel the flow of water, once dry, can be a place of seating after long periods on your feet dancing, interacting with friends or waiting for a “gyro”, an Arabian treat of meat wrapped in pita.
This is very well observed on Ariapita Avenue, a strip located north west of the city’s entrance. “D’ Avenue” is a unique phrase developed by those familiar with the experience. Ariapita Avenue, is a diagonal street connecting downtown Port of Spain to the outskirts of St. James, whereby the entire lane has various clubs, each with a unique feel, atmosphere and dress code, engaging all party goers in Trinidad. However, as one enters specific club of their choice, they leave behind the unique nature of nightlife in Port of Spain.
Nightlife in Port of Spain, especially Ariapita Avenue exists within the public space of the city’s streets, where one is free to interact with friends, with drinks and foods provided by nearby bars and registered street vendors. While on the street, music is omnipresent, echoed by the various bars and sound systems lined on the street corners. The people of Trinidad, especially those who reside in Port of Spain, have manipulated the public space in the city, therefore creating a unique identity alongside all the definable tags of the city, aiding in a unique individuality of the capital, especially Ariapita Avenue.
The public space of Port of Spain, during the night, has become privatised by the locals aiding in the overall outlook of the city as a place of business and commercial activity as well as an area with a street culture as unique and diverse as the people who created it, crafting what is known as Nightlife in Port of Spain.
Oxford Dictionary. 2016. Oxford Dictionaries Language Matters. Last modified 2016. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/nightlife
