The Soca Monarch competition will once again energise Barbados’s Crop Over festival. Culture Minister Shane Archer, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office for Youth and Culture, announced its return while speaking on the Appropriation Bill, 2026, in the Senate.
The Soca Monarch last took place in 2019 at the National Botanical Gardens, where Mikey Mercer won with Action Time Again. He earned $20,000 BDS and a Mazda truck while claiming both the Groovy and Power Soca titles. The event drew huge crowds and was a vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture. In 2023, organisers replaced the competition with a concert to showcase top songs and foster new talent, citing industry shifts. Soca artists and fans objected, repeatedly urging a return of Soca Monarch.
Senator Archer pledged that the competition is “coming back with force.” He said the top prize will match Pic-O-De-Crop. This revival promises fierce competition ahead of Crop Over’s July to August celebrations, filled with music, dance, and Grand Kadooment Day parties.
