El Callao (in Estado Bolívar) has been a melting pot since it was founded as Caratal in 1853. It attracted gold-hunting adventurers from England, America, France and the Caribbean islands, who found release from endless hours of labour in the gold mines by letting go completely at carnival time. Their celebrations added to the festival fervour of the region's slaves, allowed to really enjoy and express themselves this one time in the year. The black inhabitants of El Callao soon formed a tradition of dressing up as kings, queens, courtiers, jesters and other regal figures, importing their finery from Trinidad.

Nearby Trinidad also added calypso to this potent brew. Calypso is the music of the carnival, as it accompanies all of the processions of costumed dancers that wind around town for a number of days. Masks and other disguises are a central feature and many of these betray modern influences, such as Superman, El Zorro and Snow White (Blanca Nieves), to name but a few of the comic book and cartoon characters you might meet.

Notable among the more traditionally attired dancers are the Madamas who wear the costumes of ladies from Guadeloupe and Martinique, featuring distinctive African headscarves. There are also trident-wielding devils sporting elaborately hideous masks and red and black costumes. More immediately dangerous are the Mediopinto, who have coated themselves in black paint and threaten to do the same to anyone who refuses to give them a donation. This mixing of colours is symbolic of the racial and cultural blend that makes carnival so vibrant.

In the interior of the country Venezuelans celebrate carnival with dances such as La Burriquita, El Pajaro Guarandol, El Carite and the theatre of La Quemada de Judas in which a symbolic Judas is thrown onto a pyre and burnt.