Year after year, people from all over the world come to TT for Carnival, widely regarded as "the greatest show on earth."

While many are drawn to the vibrant festivities, others visit to play the national instrument, the steelpan, and compete during the national Panorama championship.

They will be on stage on February 16 with hundreds of other players competing during the semifinal rounds for large bands at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain.

For these visitors, it is more than just playing pan but immersing themselves in the country’s unique culture and taking home a piece of TT's heritage to share in their communities.

On February 12, Newsday visited the bp Renegades panyard and was greeted by the melodic sounds of the steelpan.

Newsday traced the source of the sound and discovered it was six French men practising.

Pan connects the world

Robin Lebouvier, 23, said he started playing pan at the age of 11.

"There was a steelband next to my parent's house in France in a town called Laval. The band is called Les Allumés Du Bidon Steelband (LADB) and my mother forced me to start. I fell in love with the pan and I never stopped."

Lebouvier said it was his first time in Trinidad and he was having an incredible time.

"I have been waiting a long time for this. I am playing guitar pan. This is a dream come true."

Lebouvier said the level of skill to play pan was much higher in Trinidad as compared to France.

Fellow Frenchman Antoine de Kerautem, 32, shared similar sentiments.

"The vibe here is very different. In France, not all the players are very educated. They enjoy it, but that's it.

"In Trinidad, we see that people grow up with the steelpan. It's a real difference. It is amazing!"

He said he has played steelpan for the last ten years and discovered it through LADB.

"The steelband was near to my house and after many years I had the chance to be in it."

De Kerautem said while it was his first time in Trinidad, he and the group had talked about coming to TT for a long time.

"It has been really amazing. We wanted to come here to discover the culture of steelbands and to see how Panorama is managed and how it happens."

[caption id="attachment_1139214" align="alignnone" width="768"] Axel Raimbault, forefront, and Vivien Duroy practise on the tenor pan at bp Renegades panyard as the band prepares for the semifinal round of Panorama competition.[/caption]

When asked about the biggest shock thus far, he said it was experiencing driving on the "wrong side of the road" (the left side), causing the entire group to burst into laughter.

He said he was also pleasantly surprised by Trinidad's musical culture.

"There is music everywhere. In France there is a lot of music, but different.

"You have music in the streets, in bars and cars. What is surprising too is when we drive, we can listen to steelpan on the radio. We cannot do that anywhere else in the world."

Charly Beucher, 31, one of the more experienced pan players in the group, started playing at the age of eight.

"I start