One of Saint Lucia’s most anticipated annual youth cultural celebrations is about to kick off, with 59 educational institutions across the island stepping into the spotlight to compete in the National Schools Calypso and Soca Competition’s qualifying auditions.
Organizers have revealed the full breakdown of participating schools across categories and education levels. For the iconic Calypso genre, a total of 40 schools earned audition spots: 26 from the primary school sector and 14 secondary institutions. The high-energy Soca category draws 23 competing schools, made up of 14 primary schools and 9 secondary schools, all vying for a limited number of places in the grand finals.
The two-day audition process is scheduled to kick off on Monday, May 5, and wrap up on Tuesday, May 6. During this qualifying stage, each school’s performing group will take the stage to present their act before an expert panel of judges, who will evaluate performances to select which contenders advance to the final competition.
A diverse cross-section of primary schools from every corner of Saint Lucia will feature in the Calypso category, including well-known campuses like Fond Assau Primary, Vide Bouteille Primary, Les Etangs Combined, Canon Laurie Anglican Primary, and Ave Maria Girls Primary. For the primary school Soca division, participating institutions include Vide Bouteille Primary, Les Etangs Combined, Ciceron RC Combined, Gros Islet Primary, and Carmen Rene Memorial Primary, among others.
At the secondary education level, multiple top schools are set to compete across both genres. Sir Ira Simmons Secondary, St Joseph’s Convent, Babonneau Secondary, Choiseul Secondary, Ciceron Secondary, and St Mary’s College will field teams in both Calypso and Soca. Additional participating secondary schools include Entrepot Secondary and Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary, rounding out the roster of competing institutions.
Following the conclusion of auditions, all advancing finalists will gain access to specialized training workshops designed to help them hone their performances, refine their stage presence, and polish their acts ahead of the main competition.
The schedule for the final events splits competition by education level. The National Primary Schools Calypso and Soca Competition will kick off at 10:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, June 3, while the Secondary Schools Competition will follow two days later on Friday, June 5. Both the primary and secondary final competitions will be hosted at Saint Lucia’s iconic Mindoo Philip Park.
Ticketing information for the final events has already been released, with discounted pricing for student attendees set at 10 Eastern Caribbean dollars, and general admission tickets priced at 20 Eastern Caribbean dollars.
Organizers have urged all interested attendees and community members to keep up to date with any adjustments to event schedules, ticketing availability, and connected carnival-related activities by following official competition social media and communication channels. This annual event has long served as a key platform for nurturing young local musical talent and celebrating Saint Lucia’s rich calypso and soca cultural heritage, drawing large crowds of community supporters each year.