Caribbean Entertainment Hub

The highly anticipated Best Of The Best Music Fest is back on May 25th, 2025, for its 19th annual installment at Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami, bringing music enthusiasts the ultimate experience in Caribbean music. Over the years, the festival has consistently delivered the highest caliber of musical performances, showcasing renowned artists at the peak of their careers.

This year’s lineup promises a historic moment as two legendary artists, Buju Banton and Beres Hammond, share the same stage for the first time in Miami, Florida. Buju Banton is set to perform his first outdoor show in the United States in over 15 years, adding to the excitement surrounding the event. Other artists booked to perform so far are: Wayne Wonder, Marcia Griffiths, Romain Virgo, Nadine Sutherland, Chronic Law, 450, and Skinny Fabulous.

With early bird tickets currently on sale at www.bestofthebestconcert.com, organizers anticipate a huge turnout. “Since the announcement of Buju Banton and Beres Hammond, we have seen an enormous increase in ticket sales as persons have decided to lock in their tickets to be a part of this historic concert, and many are making this a summer trip,” says Public Relations Manager Ronnie Tomlinson. “We are eagerly anticipating revealing the complete lineup in March, which highlights the vibrancy of Caribbean music and culture.

Produced by XO Touring, Best Of The Best Music Fest has received acclaim for its commitment to celebrating Caribbean heritage and providing a safe and enjoyable environment for music lovers from around the world. The festival has consistently drawn record-breaking crowds, solidifying its reputation as one of the premier music events in the region.

“We are extremely proud of the success and growth of Best Of The Best Music Fest over the years,” said Retha Boone-Fye, program officer and director of the county’s Black Affairs Advisory Board. “This festival represents a celebration of Caribbean culture and music, and we are thrilled to see it continue to thrive.”

Tickets for the 19th annual Best Of The Best Music Fest are now available for purchase at www.bestofthebestconcert.com. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of an unforgettable celebration of Caribbean music and culture in the heart of Miami.

Internationally-celebrated band of brothers and Soca Ambassadors, Kes the Band has made history once again. They are the first soca act to sell out two SummerStage concerts at Central Park in New York City within hours of going on sale. Set for July 5 and July 6, 2025, these back-to-back, now sold-out shows mark a groundbreaking moment not only for Kes but for the entire Caribbean music scene.
This Central Park showing will be Kes’s second appearance at SummerStage, following a sensational 2024 debut where his single show sold out within hours, leaving thousands of fans clamoring for more. This year’s double booking is a testament to his soaring popularity and growing global impact.

Coming off a record-breaking run, Kees’s chart-topping single, “Cocoa Tea,” continues to dominate streaming platforms worldwide, while his electrifying 2025 IzWe Festival: Trinidad Carnival Edition in February drew massive crowds and united cultures through rhythm and revelry.

The band’s international reach has also expanded significantly, with two sold-out shows in Montreal during their 2024 tour in Canada, proving that the love for soca knows no borders. This, even as Kes the Band celebrates 20 years in the music industry this year and continues to lead the charge for taking soca on to the world stage—waving the red, white, and black of Trinidad and Tobago with pride and particular purpose.

“We’ve always believed in the power of soca to bring people together,” said lead singer Kees Dieffenthaller. “To see that vision unfold not just in Trinidad, but New York, Canada, and beyond—it’s deeply humbling. This moment belongs to all of us and deserves a celebration.”

Presented by Capital One, SummerStage is renowned for spotlighting dynamic talent from across the globe. Kes’s back-to-back sold-out shows not only highlight his unmatched showmanship but also reflect a larger cultural shift as Caribbean music takes its rightful place in the global spotlight. If you missed Kes the Band tickets for Central Park SummerStage, you can also catch Kes the Band live at the following dates and locations:

April 20 – Tobago – Tobago Rhythm and Soul Festival

April 27 – Kingston, Jamaica – GenXs Road

April 30 – St Thomas UVI – St. Thomas Carnival Village

May 4 – Trinidad – Bedrock All Inclusive

May 9 – Cayman Islands – Festival Green·

May 18 – St Pauls Bay, Malta – Ibiza Soca Festival

May 22 – Guyana – Stinging Nettles

May 24 – Orlando, FL – Soca Fest

June 26 – St. Kitts – St Kitts Music Festival

June 28 – Baltimore MD – Pier Six Pavillion

July 3 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavillion

July 5 – New York, NY – SummerStage Central Park

July 6 – New York, NY – SummerStage Central Park

July 18 – Saint Lucia – Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium

July 26 – Toronto, Canada – IZWE

July 30 – St Michaels – Rise Barbados

August 9 – Santa Elena, Belize – Belize International Music and Food Festival

The return of Machel Montano to a Carnival Monday, Monday Madness, was an event to witness. With the massive crowd that showed up, the sheer size of the Queen’s Park Oval made it worthy to host such an event.

Evolution The Band would be the backbone for the show’s first half. They blend beautifully with the scintillating vocals of Teddyson John. Never a stranger to Trinidad, and always the crooner, he came out to his hit Vent with smooth singing and all manners of wining. Next on stage was Farmer Nappy with “How ah Livin”, “Thankful,” and “Backyard Jam” to name a few; a catalog way too vast for just 15 minutes. But the show must go on and so it did with Viking Ding Dong ‘Throwing Back.”  with his big hit and then welcoming Mical Teja, the people’s champion who started his set with this year’s contribution “Energy.” and continued with  “DNA” and “Runaway,” the crowd readily became his choir. The show continued with its vast array of A-Listers, Nailah Blackman with her signature dance moves, dazzled the crowd with “Workout”, “Round and Rosie”, and “Best Self”. She seamlessly glided from hit to hit, keeping the audience in the palm of her hands ending her set with the infectious Come Home.

After a brief intermission, two massive “M” shaped LED lights adorned the stage signifying the arrival of the king of soca, The Monk, Machel Montana. Off the jump, he would have the crowd in what can only be described as a state of mania as he performed this year’s soca hit, and road march contender, Pardy. The energy was on 1000% as the crowd sang along in a deafening chorus. Flags were waving galore, and people were stumping the ground in triumph. They deserved a Pardy. Always an energetic, charismatic perfectionist, Machel Montana’s performance is one you’d wait days in the sun to see. Hit after hit after hit, the crowd never fatigued. With choreography throughout the entirety of his set, every song felt like it was meticulously rehearsed to tell us a story. Patrons loved every moment. You couldn’t tell if it was the bass of the sound system, or the patrons singing alongside you that caused your eardrums to rupture as the noise was deafening.

Machel would have a couple of big-name help during his set, namely Pumpa, Drupate, Lady Lava, and Full Blown; who, of course, are the producers responsible for this year’s infectious “Big Links Riddim”. He would also take time to give the duo their flowers, encouraging the crowd to reacquaint themselves with the many hit songs the duo has written for himself, Kerwin Dubois, and Kes, to name a few. Machel then went back into his bag of hits from the early 2000s, and somehow ended up leading the crowd into an acapella rendition of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” All these ploys and tricks eventually round off his set with the people’s anthem, “Pardy.” As it started, so it ends with tremors being felt throughout the Oval before the Monk leaves the stage for the night. It seemed some of the crowd would leave too.

Another brief intermission and the performances continued with Ravi B. He was a much-needed jolt of energy to take us into the final leg. Starting with familiar hits like “Rum is meh Lover,” and “Prescription.” Just as he did at his very own “Homecoming”, he’d bring out the next guest, Yung Bredda to help him perform their chutney contribution, “Hot Up.” Yung Bredda then had the stage all to himself. With much gusto, he performed the nation’s favorite “Greatest Bend Over,” losing his voice in the process. In the end, it was the crowd that did the work; serenading him before he left the stage.

Our favorite Market vendor would be next, Nadia Batson and what a performance it was. There’s always an unconditional love for Nadia. Her performance was followed by Lyrikal who further carried this crowd’s energy to the limit. Who said a show after Machel is impossible? With hits like “Happy Place,” the crowd was definitely in theirs throughout his performance. Ending the set with “Rukshun,” he left the crowd in a frenzy.

In the final acts was the ever-stunning Patrice Roberts, taking the stage to keep us on our toes. And boy did she accomplish such. Her performance was worthy of a last performance. You could’ve left the fete satiated. Such is the caliber of her craft. To follow her was V’ghn who burst onto the stage to remind the crowd that the show was not yet over. Singing songs like “Finally” and “Explore,” he easily continued where Patrice left off. With time of the essence his set was shortened, but just as swiftly as V’ghn came off the stage, came Skinny Fabulous running onto the stage with nothing short of a finale-worthy performance. His last song being “Come Home,” in which he had the crowd taking the responsibility of singing Nailah Blackman’s verses.

What a show, what a closing with patrons  satisfied, and happy for the return of Machel Monday

Tantra Terraces, Sangre Grande was alive with excitement on February, 8th 2025 as many from the village gathered to welcome and celebrate with their hometown hero, Ravi Bissambhar at his homecoming. Patrons got their food and drinks before the anticipated start of live performances while dancing to the sound of DJ Selecta J . And when at about Minutes to midnight, announcer Akeem 5.0 introduced the man of the hour and his band, Ravi B and Karma, the uproar at Tantra Terraces, Sangre Grande could be heard from Port of Spain! The party has started!

The first guest artist on stage was Grenadian V’ghn who serenaded the crowd and showed off his extraordinary vocals as he sang his hit song ‘Explore’, even getting hands-on with a patron; it was an unforgettable set.

Next was Nisha B. Equally as commanding as her brother Ravi B, she held the crowd over as she sang her chutney soca hits. Ravi B would take to the stage with her, rekindling nostalgia for Karma’s early days.

Begging for “One Piece of Wine”  GBM Nutron took the stage. One of the most sought-after soca artists of the season, GBM Nutron continues the entertainment as we dip into the wee hours of the morning. Hit after hit he didn’t miss. Ending the set with his last year’s smash hit, ‘In D Centre’; Ravi B assisting him in place of Farmer Nappy.

With no breaks between artists, Shal Marshall came next to adopt us into his ‘Feteing Family’. After showing him their ‘Content’, the crowd welcomed Pumpa from the British Virgin Islands with his rendition ‘A-List’ instructing the ladies whose names end with an a to “bend right over”.

Now the time has come to honor the local hero and the Sangre Grande Festival Committee without much ado presented a trophy to Ravi B, as their Soca Superstar for 2025. Of course, such an honor must be celebrated, and Ravi B took the mic and showed why he is worthy of such an accolade.

Like all such events, the second half was filled with soca royalties.  Voice, the Prince of Soca, soared onto the stage and entertained with hit after hit. One of the most in-demand artists every season, he never fails to live up to expectations. The energy of the crowd, the live band, and his made this an unforgettable set.

Nishard M, King of Chutney, was next to grace the stage. It’s no wonder he won the two previous iterations of the Chutney Soca Monarch. This concert was a wonderful blend of Soca and Chutney Soca.

Time to ‘Carry On’ and back to Soca with Patrice Roberts who electrified the audience further, dashing out in a neon green translucent. Stunning as ever in appearance and performance, it would be okay to think it was her own concert, as her performances are always top-tier.

Ravi B would come back out, for what was the last time, and tell the crowd it was time to go home………or so we thought. As the intro to the Big Links Riddim started up, “What are you doing?” is all that needed to be said to throw the crowd into a frenzy. Yung Bredda came out to his hit song this season, ‘Greatest Bend Over’ and had the crowd moving and swaying to his soca contributions of 2025, even performing his and Ravi B’s hit Chutney Soca “Hot Up.” But he couldn’t leave the stage without one more favor. The man of the hour, Ravi B, asked that he grace the crowd with one final performance of the Greatest Bend Over. This time the crowd performed for him, belting out lyric for lyric as they would do the work.

Ravi B now had the hardest task ever……simmering the crowd and ending the show with a crowd still reluctant to go home. Of course, a performer as experienced as him did such with ease. Swooning the crowd down with hit after hit like Rum is Meh Lover, Baar Baar and Bread. All sung like a lullaby with the crowd in chorus, the show officially ended with a promise that he’d be back next year, bigger and better.

Nailah Blackman’s Sokah Origins cements her excellence as a performer as she put on a fantastic show that felt like both concert and fete but with all the vibes. This year’s theme B.A.D (born a diamond) felt appropriate given the slew of dazzling performances throughout the evening, culminating in an exercise in brilliance by the soca princess.

The show kicked off an hour and a half later than the advertised 5 pm, but soca artiste Oh.Xone showed off a new song “Attitude Problems” while urging the crowd to check out his new music. The crowd was hyped up by the antics of Major Penny before the list of better-known soca artistes graced the stage.

Some of the highlights include Pumpa from the US Virgin Islands. He stood out with his beard dyed fluorescent green and electric presentation making use of the entire stage as he got the crowd raving.

The crowd’s response, especially the ladies, was thunderous as Lyrikal monopolized the stage. He sang “Dotish” which uses the Tilden Hall rhythm. Lyrikal put on a clinic in crowd engagement, inviting an audience member to the stage who gave the freest, duttiest wine of her life to the amusement and surprise of the crowd.

Voice started his set with his Carnival 2025 release “Retro ,” and urged the audience from the South to represent. He transitioned into “Penthouse” and “Out and Bad” before jumping into both the VIP and General sections during “Too Own Way,” sending the crowds wild as they tried to buss a wine on the soca star.

Nailah united with her family on stage with “Endless Vibration,” a vivacious duet with her aunt Marge Blackman, before joining Isaac Blackman later for a rendition of “Om Shanti Om” who ended the set with timeless classic “To The Ceiling” which sent the crowd into a spree.

Nailah was the shining diamond of the event, giving multiple performances and having multiple changes in attire which included a gorgeous but risque deep blue dress. Nailah showed her mastery as a physical performer, keeping pace and leading the charge of her backup dancers while managing clean vocals. She remarked that the ladies weren’t getting on “bad enough” before inviting a few audience members on stage to mash up the place. And mash-up they did, as they sent the crowd into a frenzy with some professional throw-waist.

Toward the end, Soca icon Sherwin Winchester was invited on, but the set had to be cut short as the event had gone over the allotted time due to the late start. Nailah concluded the show with an acapella rendition of “Come Home,” her sincere and mesmerizing vocals cutting through the crowd as the venue began to shut things down.

While not a “wine and fling it up” kind of event, the audience, especially the VIP section, grooved throughout the night, dancing, chipping, wining and ‘palancing’ to match the vibe of the music and performers. If it was your first fete for the season, it was money well spent.

With the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays falling mid-week, the festivities have been staggered somewhat as Carnival 2025 events invigorate the longest season in and for many years to come. Early events such as “Day One” and “1st Jam” attracted scores of eager fete lovers to the Normandie Hotel and Hasely Crawford Stadium venues respectively on January 1 with various boat rides and cruises happening almost daily since then and smaller niche events such as the “Fete”

On Sunday, January 5, the real action kicks off with Nailah Blackman’s annual concert event, Sokah Origins (subtitled B.A.D. – Born A Diamond) dazzling and vibrating across south Trinidad from 4 to 11 pm at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy; Paradise – The Secret Garden will be held in the west together Soka in Moka which still stands as the only one with multiple live bands and performers now celebrating 25 years as the official Carnival kick-off event.

Viking Ding Dong booked to perform at both venues

Former Trinity College vice principal and Chair of the Event Organising Committee, Janice Richards highlighted the commitment and love for community and college shown by the school, its teachers, and students over the years in a media release, which also reminds patrons that this staple carnival event returns to the school’s outdoor court area after two years held at St Andrew’s Golf Course nearby.

“Plans for this year’s celebration include décor in commemorating the joy we feel as a community having hosted this event for as long as we have,” said Richards, adding the surprisingly longstanding plug that: “With tickets priced at $900, Soka in Moka is presently the most affordable premium all-inclusive carnival fete in T&T.”

According to Richards, the Soka in Moka All Inclusive has proven to be the school’s most successful fundraiser over the years, aiding substantially in maintaining and refurbishing the facility.

“Our largest expense was in 2015 when we spent $300,000 to paint the school’s exterior,” she revealed. “Over time, we have raised money from this event that has gone toward refurbishing the basketball court, implementing our school’s security system, outfitting our computer lab, repairing our administrative restrooms and now, we will work towards upgrading our security system at the school.”

Like clockwork, the energy of the carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago is making its grand entry this Sunday with Sokah Origin, and the Soka in Moka event will feature an all-star DJ cast, alumni performers, and major artiste including Patrice Roberts and the A-Team Band, Raymond Ramnarine and Dil-E-Nadan The D All Starz Band with College Boy Jesse, Viking Ding Dong, Zan, Mical Teja, Blacka Dan, Teddyson John, and Olatunji Yearwood will also perform at Sokah Origins.

Take your pick or try to sample them all, but Carnival 2025 comes alive this weekend and will continue for the next 8 weeks with increasing intensity as we chip on toward The Greatest Show on Earth come March 3rd and 4th 2024.