THE Government has published a request for expressions of interest (EOI) from individuals, organisations or firms interested in hosting a 2025 soca competition.
Interested people or parties have until noon on August 23 to submit the EOIs.
However, the organisers of the International Soca Monarch say its competition will happen come 2025 with or without government support.
Geoffrey Wharton-Lake, one of the directors of the Caribbean Prestige Foundation, the organisation responsible for the International Soca Monarch, said on July 30 in a phone interview, “We have not sat down as a team yet based on what came out in the newspaper.
We will not be putting in a tender for something like that.
“We already have a brand. Our intention is to see if we could move forward with it, with or without government support.
“Clearly they have no interest in supporting the Soca Monarch.”
Asked if there was going to be a Soca Monarch 2025, Wharton-Lake said, as far as he knew, yes.
Reigning Soca Monarch Neil “Iwer” George was one artiste who previously expressed interest in organising such a soca competition.
However, when contacted yesterday he said his only interest for Carnival 2025 was to compete.
The request
Printed ads in all three daily newspapers on July 30 detailed the criteria for those interested in developing, marketing, promoting and managing a soca competition.
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts invited suitably qualified individuals, organisations or firms with a proven track record of accomplishment, and requisite capabilities to submit EOIs.
It said considerations would include conceptualisation and design of a contemporary, international competition, a transparent adjudication system with an emphasis on popular vote/people’s choice, event logistics, sponsorship and financial feasibility and sustainability.
The ad said the invitation was not a request for proposals and not a tender.
Are you interested?
In earlier speculative media reports, several groups expressed interest in hosting a Soca Monarch-type competition after the once-popular event had been missing from the Carnival calendar two consecutive years (2023-2024).
Before that, there was no Carnival events because of the covid19 pandemic.
The interest was heightened after Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister Randall Mitchell made the call earlier this year at the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) prize-giving ceremony for the finalists of the National Freestyle, Extempo, Road March and Senior Calypso Monarch competitions.
He called on organisations or individuals to partner with the Government for a new competition in 2025.
In a follow-up interview, some promoters and artistes appreciated Mitchell’s call for a renewed competition and expressed interest.
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