ONE BIG EVENT, two competitions, two cars.
Contestants in this year’s Soca Royale competition, which includes the Sweet Soca and Party Monarch competitions, will be vying for customised spanking new Kia vehicles as part of their winnings.
This announcement was made by Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley during a site visit to Bushy Park yesterday.
The decision by sponsor McEnearney Quality Inc. to offer two cars, comes against a backdrop of criticism by two-time Sweet Soca champ Terencia TC Coward that the contestants in the groovy competition were being treated like distant cousins.
TC had also expressed concerns that the Sweet Soca competition would remain a daytime event, and the Party Monarch competition would be held after sunset. This is one of the major changes to the Sweetest Summer Festival.
The event kicks off at 1 p.m. with the return of the Soca Wonders, which will feature performances from eight to ten of the “older artistes”, who would have had top party hits back in their day.
Eight finalists, including defending monarch TC, will battle against each other immediately following the Soca Wonders showcase. In another departure from the norm, the winner of the competition will be announced before the Party Monarch competition begins.
At sundown, defending Party Monarch and Soca Royale champ Anderson Blood Armstrong will face off against nine others for supremacy. There will be an interlude of DJ music after the show, during which patrons are expected to leave the venue.
In welcoming the National Cultural Foundation back to the state-owned “centre for entertainment”, Member of Parliament for St Philip North Michael Lashley, asked that consideration be given to residents in the area and for accommodation to be made for children, by way of a play park, for them to be able to take in the show.
Stephen Lashley gave the assurance that both were being considered.
Meanwhile, Lashley has announced that there would be no increase of ticket prices for any of the Crop Over events. The same obtains for vendors. There will be no increase on stall spaces. This is the second consecutive year ticket prices have not been increased.