The battle for Saint Lucia’s biggest carnival titles is officially entering its final act.
Following an action-packed weekend of semi-final performances at the National Cultural Centre, the finalists for the 2026 Groovy Soca, Power Soca and Calypso Monarch competitions have been confirmed, setting the stage for two of the most anticipated events of Carnival 2026.
The Groovy and Power Soca semi-finals saw 40 performances as established stars and emerging talent competed for a place in the finals on Friday, July 10. With defending Groovy Soca Monarch Nerdy and reigning Power Soca Monarchs Dezral and Jardel awaiting challengers, the competition is shaping up to be one of the fiercest in recent years.
Advancing to the Groovy Soca final are Arthur Allain with Work on Pause (WOP), CR with Hostage, Deevon with Momentum, Ezra D’Funmachine with Mr. Complimentary, Kisha K with Done, Ricky T with Not Kissing A$$, Shemmy J with Everything, Sly with Captain and Twahzzy with Stop It Stacy.
The Power Soca finalists are Bronx, Dhirv 2 Frunny and Mata with Mad People, Ezra D’Funmachine with Salute, Kisha K with Hot Already, Ricky T with True Colour, Sedale, Hollywood and Deevon with Bring Your Cooler, Sirlancealot with Jusso, Shemmy J with Even If She Crying, Sly with Rage and Tension (Booboo & Samo) with Actimo.
Sunday’s Calypso Monarch semi-final also produced a strong field of finalists after each calypsonian performed two original compositions before the adjudication panel.
Advancing to the Calypso Monarch final are Gumtion (Black Man and Creole Therapy), Ready (Sign Up and Micoud), John Gotti (Champion or Trumpion and My Proposal), TC Brown (Jodi Pa Ye and English Teacher), Educator (Deux Glo and Gwan Moun), Menell (Welcome To My World and Mystery Babylon), Herb Black (Ugly Woman and St. Jude), Walleigh (Kaiso Games and His AI Say So) and Lushanne (Heroes Don’t Die and Colour Fool). They will now compete for the Calypso Monarch title currently held by Dezral.
The Groovy and Power Soca Monarch finals will be held on Friday, July 10, with the Calypso Monarch competition following on Saturday, July 11. Both events will take place at the SAB, Vigie.
Advance tickets are priced at $60 and are available online at 4CirclesTickets.com, at The Cell outlets islandwide and Steve’s Barbershop in Castries. Tickets purchased at the gate will cost $80.
With seasoned performers, reigning champions and ambitious newcomers all in the mix, the stage is set for two nights of fierce competition as Saint Lucia prepares to crown its next Soca and Calypso Monarchs.
