World Steelpan Day Date in the current year: August 11, 2024

The steelpan, also known as the steel drum or simply pan, is a percussion instrument that originated in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists, and a group of pannists is called a steelband or steel orchestra. Steelpans are traditionally made from 55-gallon industrial drums; pans of different sizes produce different notes. They are played using straight sticks with rubber tips.

The roots of the modern steelpan can be traced back to the West African talking drums that originated in the 18th century. These hourglass-shaped drums were used for long-distance communication using a special code. In the 1780s, thousands of people from West Africa were forcibly abducted, brought to Trinidad, and sold at slave auctions. Even though their enslavers tried to make slaves forget their native language and traditions, the Africans did everything in their power to preserve their customs, including drumming.

Europeans also brought to the Caribbean the tradition of celebrating Carnival. Following the abolition of slavery, Africans started to organize their own Carnival celebrations that incorporated African percussion music. After the Canboulay Riots of 1881-1884, the colonial government of Trinidad placed a ban on public drumming during Carnival, and new musical instruments were invented to circumvent the ban, including the tamboo bamboo (a tunable stick made of bamboo wood) and the steel pan.

Laventville, a suburb of Port of Spain, is considered the birthplace of the modern steelpan. In the 1930s, local bands started to use dustbin lids, frying pans, and oil drums as percussion instruments. One of the first all-steel percussion bands, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, was created in 1939. It is considered a forerunner of the modern steelband. Steelpans made from 55-gallon oil drums emerged in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Panners and instrument makers Ellie Mannette and Winston Simon are credited with greatly contributing to the development of the steelpan.

Today, steelpans and steelbands are an integral element of the Trinidad Carnival. However, many steelbands perform all the year round, using steelpans to play different types and genres of music, ranging from calypso and Latin music to jazz and jazz fusion.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating August 11 as World Steelpan Day in July 2023. The main goal of the holiday is to recognize the historical and cultural significance of the steelpan and to highlight the potential of this musical instrument in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals through its use in various sectors such as culture and arts, education, tourism, as well as science and technology. World Steelpan Day is marked in countries around the world by various cultural and educational activities such as performances, workshops, and other events.