Port-Of-Spain, Feb. 28:  Carnival parades and reveling in the streets of Trinidad & Tobago, Rio, Dominica, New Orleans, Haiti and Carriacou are Monday and Tuesday, March 3 & 4. In Trinidad & Tobago and Dominica, calypso and soca competitions, integral components of carnival, begin tonight.

Today is  “Fantastic  Friday” here in Trinidad & Tobago. It begins the final countdown of Trinidad & Tobago Carnival 2014. The premiere event tonight is the Soca Monarch competition. It determines the International Power Soca Monarch and the Groovy Soca Monarch. 

The National Calypso Monarch finals is scheduled  for Sunday as part of the Dimanche Gras show.

In Trinidad & Tobago the winner of the International Power Soca Monarch gets TT$2 million. It is US$500,000-$600,000.

Machel Montano defends both titles.

Soca artists from Grenada, Barbados, St. Vincent and Dominica are in the competition. (PHOTO: Tal Pree of Grenada who is performing in the Groovy Soca competition. He performed at last year’s Mother Day Saturday Concert in Brooklyn.)

Celebrities arriving in Trinidad & Tobago for the climax of the Carnival-Calypso-Steelband and Fete season include the world’s fastest human being Usain Bolt of Jamaica and actor Damien Dante Wayans.

Bolt is in the carnival as an ambassador for Digicel; he has been photographed partying in many fetes and drumming in a Tassa Band.

Here are the finalists in the Power Soca, Groovy Soca and National Calypso Monarch competitions in Trinidad & Tobago.

ORDER OF APPEARANCE AND SONG:  International Groovy Soca

1. Ravi B  (Bread)

2. Mr Famous  (Play More Local)

3. Erphaan Alves  (Contagious)

4. Skinny Fabulous  (Behaving the Worst)

5. Denise “Saucy Wow” (Belfon Chuku Chuku)

6. Biggie Irie  (Need A Rhythm)

7. Destra Garcia  (First Time)

8. Tallpree  (Jab Nation)

9. Farmer Nappy  (Big People Party)

10. Cassi (Man In Yuh House)

11. Kerwin Du Bois  (Too Real )

12. Machel Montano  (Happiest Man Alive)

ORDER OF APPEARANCE AND SONG:  International Power Soca Monarch

1. Ann-G  (We Love Carnival)

2. Snakey  Dhoti Short)

3. Nadia Batson  (Rated R)

4. Patrice Roberts  (Feting Di Most)

5. SuperBlue  (Carnival YoYo)

6. Iwer George  (Mama Oye)

7. Lyrikal  (Lockdown)

8. Devon Matthews  (Level It)

9. Destra Garcia  (Mash Up)

10. Mr Killa  (Rolly Polly)

11. Machel Montano (Ministry of Road )

ORDER OF APPEARANCE: National Calypso Monarch (Sunday, March 2)

1 Pink Panther

2 Cro Cro

3 Queen Victoria

4 Mistah Shak

5 Bodyguard

6 Chucky

7  Myron B

8 Kurt Allen

9 Chalkdust

10 Skatie

11 Brian London

12 Alana Sinette