Declining calypso tent attendance in Antigua and Barbuda is part of a wider regional trend affecting the art form, according to music researcher Dr. Andrew Martin. As reported by Antigua Observer, Martin made the remarks as tent season is in full swing, with growing concern over poor attendance ahead of Carnival, deemed the Caribbean's greatest summer festival.
Speaking on Observer AM, Martin — a professor of music research and history at Inver Hills College in Minnesota — said Antigua and Barbuda is facing many of the same challenges as other Caribbean nations. Calypso tent attendance, he noted, has fallen across the region, including in Trinidad. Despite Soca's growing global popularity, Martin argued that calypso continues to serve a distinct and important role through its emphasis on social commentary.
"When you look at the current situation in Antigua and Barbuda, it's similar to calypso traditions and the tent traditions in other places too. Some of these struggles are obviously localised to what Antigua is dealing with, but calypso tent attendance is down in Trinidad; it's down in other places as well," Martin said.
He noted that calypso was once considered popular music in its own right, not merely a vehicle for social messaging. "Calypso was popular music. It is definitely social commentary, but it was popular music at some point," he said.
Martin, who serves as director of the African Music Ensemble and Steelband and is regarded as a leading expert on Caribbean music history, traced the art form's roots to African cultural traditions. "Historically, Calypso comes from African roots. You have a combination of a variety of African cultures — Shango, Yoruba, and so on — which have these traditions of social commentary in their local music. This is exactly what Calypso does. Song-wise, tune-wise, it's often been mixed with some sailing songs of either the Portuguese, the French, the English, and so on, and so you get Calypso and what it is. The social commentary aspect is really important," he said.
The researcher and author also pointed to shifts in the music industry as a key factor undermining calypsonians' ability to earn a sustainable living. Where earlier generations benefited from record sales and year-round touring, today's artistes depend primarily on live performances, as recorded music generates far less income.
"When you have the classic Calypso battles in Trinidad of the 1960s and 70s with Kitchener and Sparrow, they're selling records and lots of records. They're touring year-round — performing in New York, all throughout the Caribbean, going to London and Toronto," Martin said. "But in 2026, almost nobody, even Taylor Swift frankly, doesn't make very much money selling records. They make money touring. They make money performing."
Martin also highlighted the localised nature of Antiguan calypso as a barrier to broader commercial reach. He noted that while Sir MacLean "King Short Shirt" Emanuel's "Tourist Leggo" achieved success in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1970s, Antigua and Barbuda calypsos generally do not perform well in other markets.
He cautioned that without calypso tents operating on a more consistent, year-round basis, artistes face mounting difficulties in reaching audiences and generating income from their music.
