Thousands of Haitians shrugged off their daily struggles on Tuesday to celebrate Carnival in Port-au-Prince.

Wearing colourful costumes, Haitians danced on the street. Port-au-Prince's Carnival celebrations culminate on Shrove Tuesday, the last day of festivities before many Christians begin a period of fasting in the lead up to Easter.

Carnival in Haiti goes back to 1804 and not even the country's devastating 2010 earthquake was enough to eliminate celebrations.

However, previous Carnivals have been marred by political instability, violence and tragedy. In 2015, 16 people died during a stampede at Carnival festivities.

After Carnival, Haitians have to wrestle with under-development, with the majority of the population living under the poverty line.