Government bans glass bottles for Carnival

Glass bottles have, once again, been banned by Cabinet during Carnival.

The ban was first introduced in 2020, but it was since 2012 that then Port of Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing had been advocating for the ban.

The Carnival (Prohibition of Glass Bottles) Regulations, 2025, say from 4 am on March 3 to midnight on March 4, only “authorised” people can have, serve or drink from a glass bottle within 100 metres of a Carnival event in a public place.

The only public place glass bottles will be allowed is at the beach.

Authorised people include those holding a licence under the Liquor Licences Act; anyone holding a special event licence issued under the Special Event Order, 2025; a vendor holding a food badge; a server of a band registered under the Carnival Regulations, 2025; and on duty employees a Municipal Corporation; the CEPEP Company Ltd; TT Solid Waste Management Company Ltd or an employee of a manufacturer or distributor of beverages in glass bottles.

Any unauthorised person found with a glass bottle will be fined $1,000 and spend up to six months in jail.