The 71st Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival continues this evening with the annual Calypso Competition, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Friday, July 26, at the Charlie Neil Fret Festiville,
This year’s competition will feature several of the territory’s well-known calypsonians, including reigning monarch Young Blood, King Paido, Veteran Le-Le, Sistah Joyce, Eklund Adams, and Miss Understood. A guest appearance by a local personality known as Chappy is also scheduled.
Young Blood, whose full name is Marcus Mark, secured the Calypso Monarch title in 2024 with two original songs, “The Antidote” and “The Miseducation of Marijuana.” His performances earned him the highest score from judges and additional awards for Best Lyrics and Best Performance.
Second place in the 2024 competition went to Reynold “King Paido” Phillips.
The Calypso Competition is among the central highlights of the annual Emancipation Festival, which marks the abolition of slavery in the Virgin Islands in 1834. The festival includes a wide range of cultural and historical events observed across the Territory.
Admission to tonight’s show is $30. 
