By Tahna Weston
A number of changes geared towards making this year’s Carnival festivities fairer and more competitive have been made – including reverting to a one-song competition for the Party Monarch competition.
During a press conference held by the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission yesterday, Chair Elizabeth Makhoul said the soca artistes will now perform just one song, rather than the usual two.
Makhoul said the Commission felt that it would be better and more competitive to have one song being performed.
“We went back to how it started. It was a one-song competition all along and not two competitions and it’s the same for calypso. We just wanted the competition to become more competitive again.
“We thought that people were getting too comfortable. We thought that to create that competitiveness once again, because we recognise that is what made the competition exciting, the competitiveness to go back to where it all began.
“Because we felt this is the time where we come to a reset moment in Carnival. We see other islands going through that reset. Some of them cancelled the event all together, but we felt that it was important that we maintain all the events but we think that instead of cancelling it, just go back to reset and go back to the basics and how it all started, try to get the stakeholders more involved and also to have more meat in the game,” Makhoul said.
In spite of the changes to the competition, Makhoul said the prize monies for each show have not changed.
The winner of the Calypso Monarch competition will receive $20,000 as the main prize, the first runner-up $14,000, the second runner-up $10,000, while all unplaced calypsonians will take home $5,000.
The Party Monarch winner will receive $50,000, with the first runner-up getting $40,000 and $30,000 going to the second placed participant. The Festivals Commission chairperson said all unplaced entrants will receive $8,000.
Makhoul said the calypso competition will see 14 artistes vying for the crown – 13 competitors who pass the semi-finals plus the reigning monarch.
There will be 12 soca artistes plus the two reigning monarchs for each competition from last year -Groovy and Jumpy – taking part in the Party Monarch competition slated for August 4.
Makhoul said the commission would still be required to put on a very big stage with all the trimmings including screens, sounds and lights as Antigua is known for having one of the best Carnival productions in the Caribbean.
“We do go all out when it comes to production,” she said.
Quarter finals for the Party Monarch competition will be held on just one night this year. That will take place on July 3 at Rum Runners.
It was noted that on July 5 the calypsonians will compete to move on to the next stage of eliminations – the semi-finals – with their quarter finals being held at Julees Kaiso Korner Calypso Tent.
A second round of elimination will take place on July 6 at Tent City at Rum Runners.
The criteria and regulations for both competitions can be obtained at the commission’s head office on Old Parham Road and via soft copy.
This year’s Carnival runs from July 25 to August 6.
