Soca Monarch Canceled for Second Consecutive Year

The International Soca Monarch was invented in 1993 by William Munro and for years the event was the highlight of the Carnival season with fans waiting to find out who would win for song of the year and the title of Soca Monarch. However, the event was canceled this year and last year due to funding.

According to "No Soca Monarch again" by Peter Christopher wrote, "National Carnival Commission chairman Winston 'Gypsy' Peters yesterday confirmed that the event, which had been a fixture among Carnival events and competitions for the past three decades, was again in limbo due to a lack of funding. The event is owned by the Caribbean Prestige Foundation (CPF) for the Performing Arts but was cancelled last year due to a lack of funding."

This being the second canceled event due to funding some fans expected it to happen even claiming that the virtual Soca Monarch in 2021 didn't suffice and people should have foreseen this outcome due to low attendance.

On X, @DonIko commented, "The outrage over Soca Monarch being cancelled is weird. Bro y'all never used to go anyways, technically you're part of the reason for the decline so what you so upset about To be honest I'm low key glad, if it can't be done properly doh do it. Plan and come proper next year."

Other fans back this up saying the decline in attendance made Soca Monarch or Fantastic Friday an inactive event when it used to be the must-see event of Carnival besides the Panorama. Christopher also cited in his article for the Guardian that low attendance made the event less likely to happen as it is hosted by a private organization.

"However, the event... saw low interest from patrons following the decision of several major soca stars, including Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez, to opt out of the competition. The initial drop in attendance could be traced as far back as the mid-2000s, after Garlin initially opted not to return to the competition in 2007, before being convinced to take to the stage in 2008."

However, the event had been resurrected after Soca King Machel Montano decided to make a comeback in 2011.

Christopher wrote, "It saw a resurgence in 2011 when Montano was coaxed to return after a 15-year absence, with several other artists doing the same following the introduction of a $2 million first prize in the Power category and a $500,000 prize for the Groovy Monarch."

While this gave hope to the community that the event would make a comeback, COVID-19 and lack of participation and funding are all considered the downfall of Soca Monarch.