Color Me Red (CMR), the only concert event for Saint Lucia’s carnival, is set for Carnival Friday, July 17, 2026. Marking its 20th anniversary as a top Lucian Carnival event, “CMR – the Encore” will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Beausejour.
The show will feature leading Dennery Segment artists such as Blackboy, Mighty, Tallyboy, and Andrew (the biscuit man), along with carnival soca stars including Groovy Monarch Kisha, Power Soca Monarch Ezra D’funmachine, Shemmy J, and Sedale.
At a press conference on Thursday at the Windjammer Hotel, Thaddeus Antoine, founder and director of Red Carnival, the producers of CMR, said this 20th edition is special.
“I’ll tell you how special it is and how relevant it is to be called the encore,” Antoine said. “Skinny (Fabulous) was one of those who performed at CMR in the early days he was still going to UWI at the time and he came here as an opener to Ricky T, and Machel we have had Machel for five years and those were the greatest years we have had of CMR and he is back and when you come back what is that; an encore.”
Skinny Fabulous shared his excitement about performing at CMR, recalling how he first arrived in Saint Lucia and spent time in Soufriere, taking in the view of the famous Pitons.
He remembered his early visits to Saint Lucia and how he looked up to artists like Ricky T, whom he called a legend.
“I remember trying to compete against Ricky T at the OECS Soca Monarch in 2009. I met Thaddeus as an entertainment lawyer, and he was one of the first promoters to give me a bigger stage to perform. So it is full circle now,” the Vincentian Soca artiste said.
“And so it is just a pleasure to be back here, sharing a stage not only with one of the pioneer promoters but my dear friend, my brother, the legend, Mr Give Them Performance, Machel,” he said.
For Skinny Fabulous, Carnival Friday is when the carnival truly begins. He promised this would be the biggest and best showcase of Lucian talent and Caribbean music yet.
Machel said he felt right at home and was clearly excited to be back in Saint Lucia.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be here. I feel like I am sitting down with my family… I mean, my history with Saint Lucia, I have been coming here since I was nine years old, too young to Soca,” Machel said.
“Two years ago at Saint Lucia Jazz was one of the best nights of my life, best performance, because of the energy and I hadn’t seen Saint Lucia in a while,” he said. “And now I haven’t seen Saint Lucia during carnival in a while and you know, they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. So I am really happy to come, this time around, with some real new hits.”
Machel talked about working with Saint Lucian producers Pen and Ace and collaborating with Ricky T as a way to bring the islands together.
“And this was before the rise of the Dennery Segment. And we witnessed the Dennery segment become a formidable force in the Caribbean and stand out on its own. I can’t wait to see that next to me and understand that we both stand on a level playing field right now,” he remarked.
“You’ll have some of the biggest artistes in the game doing a genre of music that has stood out and is representing Saint Lucia, so this is a family affair for me and I am just as excited to see whistling happening tomorrow and maybe bite a biscuit,” he said with a laugh in an obvious reference to two of the more popular Dennery Segments hits at the moment.
The Soca icon said it was an honour to be invited back to CMR, promising a show full of hits when he performs with his Saint Lucian and Caribbean family.
Organisers say they have planned a special event for both regular guests and VIPs, and they thanked platinum sponsors Bank of Saint Lucia, Windjammer and all other sponsors and partners for their support.
