Carnival in Dominica is the weekend plus the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The largest festivities are in the largest city and capital of Roseau (population about 25,000 plus folks from cruise ships), with smaller events in the second city, Portsmouth (population about 3,000) and in Carib Territory.
Roseau has festivals, a beauty pagent and a major Calypso contest. But it would have taken us hours to drive each way to Roseau, and besides, we knew that we'd see friends in Portsmouth, so that was where we went.
The events we photographed were the "Jump Ups" (in Creole, J'Ouvert, "opening"), which begin on Monday at about 3:00 AM running to about 10:00 AM, and again after dark until about 11:00 PM on Tuesday.
Carnival is a pre-Lenten festival, as in Rio, and like Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday") in New Orleans. The idea is to have fun on the last days possible before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.