New Delhi, Feb. 18 -- Trinidad and Tobago was practically shut down on Tuesday as it neared the climax of its famed annual two-day carnival.

But this year, the event - dubbed "the greatest show on Earth" - faced the pressures of rising costs, leaving a growing number of residents on the twin-island Caribbean nation no longer able to afford to participate.

Ticket prices for premium parties were costing nearly $700, while the price for costumes in a popular masquerade band were in excess of $2,000.

Cognizant of rising prices, teachers and musicians are finding creative ways to make carnival more accessible for residents, whose forebears were slaves barred from participating in such festivities.

Joshua Lamorelle, who goes into impoverish...