From steel pan and Carnival celebrations to intimate conversations with Elizabeth “Lady” Montano and an outdoor documentary screening, Brooklyn Public Library is turning the borough into a celebration of the King of Soca.
If there is one place outside Trinidad and Tobago that makes perfect sense for a celebration of Machel Montano, Brooklyn is certainly high on the list.
Brooklyn Public Library and the Machel Montano Foundation for Greatness are presenting Journey of a Soca King: The Exhibition, an immersive celebration of Montano’s extraordinary career, alongside a series of programs taking place across Brooklyn through September.
The exhibition is on view at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library from August 22 through September 12, 2026, featuring costumes, trophies, vinyl records and other artifacts from Montano’s career. Visitors can also hear selections of his music and explore moments from a journey that began when Montano started performing at only seven years old.
And this isn’t simply an exhibition with a few events attached. Brooklyn is giving Soca King fans and families multiple ways to experience the music, history, literature and Carnival culture surrounding his story.
Machel Montano and Brooklyn Go Way Back
What makes this celebration especially meaningful is Montano’s own history with Brooklyn.
In 1984, when he was just nine years old, Montano came to Brooklyn after receiving a scholarship to participate in Marie Brooks’ summer programming. He later lived on Utica Avenue in the mid-1990s, and his first Road March-winning song, “Big Truck,” was recorded in Brooklyn.
That history adds another layer to seeing his story celebrated not only at Grand Army Plaza but in neighborhoods including Crown Heights, Flatbush, East Flatbush and beyond.
Here is the upcoming Journey of a Soca King programming to put on your calendar.
August 25: Brower Park Celebration at Brooklyn Children’s Museum
The celebration continues Tuesday, August 25 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the rooftop of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue.
Presented with Brower Park Library staff, the family-friendly morning includes a reading of Machel Montano’s children’s book Boy Boy and the Magic Drum, mask-making, activity sheets and a mini Carnival parade with live music.
This is a wonderful introduction for children who may not know the name Machel Montano yet, but certainly understand the magic of drums, costumes, movement and a good parade.
Brower Park Celebration details
August 27: Clarendon Celebration
On Thursday, August 27 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the festivities move to Clarendon Library, 2035 Nostrand Avenue.
The morning includes Tammy Hall reading Boy Boy and the Magic Drum, a Carnival headdress craft, children’s activity sheets, steel pan music by Patrick Davis and Caribbean refreshments.
I especially like how these neighborhood events aren’t treating Caribbean culture as something meant to sit behind museum glass. Children get to hear it, make something, taste something and participate.
August 27: Lady Montano Takes a Deep Dive Into Machel’s Lyrics
Later that evening, the conversation gets deeper.
Elizabeth “Lady” Montano, Machel’s mother, longtime manager and biographer, joins cultural researcher Dr. Rudolph Ottley and journalist and media entrepreneur Melissa Noel at Central Library’s Dweck Center from 7 to 9 p.m.
Rather than simply playing the hits, the program looks closely at Machel Montano’s lyrics and soca as poetry, followed by an audience Q&A.
For those of us who love discovering the story behind the music, this may be one of the most fascinating events in the series.
Central Library: 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn.
Machel Montano Lyrics conversation and registration
September 1: Crown Heights Celebration
The Carnival spirit continues on Tuesday, September 1 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Crown Heights Library, 560 New York Avenue at Maple Street.
Families can enjoy a Boy Boy and the Magic Drum storytime, mask-making and activity sheets, Caribbean refreshments and a steel pan performance by Three Youth Pannists.
Crown Heights Celebration details
September 2: Rugby Library Brings Carnival to Utica Avenue
Then comes the celebration featured on the flyer that first caught my attention.
Journey of a Soca King: Rugby Celebration takes place Wednesday, September 2 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Rugby Library, 1000 Utica Avenue.
The afternoon includes storytime featuring Boy Boy and the Magic Drum, plus performances from Tropical Fete’s youth steel band, a stilt walker and a masquerade dancer. Grab-and-go mask-making kits and children’s activity sheets will also be available.
And there is something beautifully full-circle about celebrating Montano on Utica Avenue, the same Brooklyn avenue where he once lived during an important period of his career.
September 2: The Stories Behind Machel Montano’s Collaborations
After the Rugby celebration, adults can head to Central Library for another behind-the-scenes conversation.
From 7 to 9 p.m., Lady Montano returns to the Dweck Center with Dr. Rudolph Ottley and Melissa Noel to explore the musical collaborations that have helped define Machel’s career.
The conversation is expected to touch on collaborations with artists ranging from Ashanti and Ariana Grande to Shaggy and Wyclef Jean, offering an insider perspective on what happens when different musical worlds meet soca. An audience Q&A follows.
Musical Collaborations conversation and registration
September 3: Flatbush Celebrates With Lady Montano
On Thursday, September 3 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Flatbush Library, 22 Linden Boulevard at Flatbush Avenue, gets its turn.
This celebration includes a parade of Carnival characters, a reading by Elizabeth “Lady” Montano from her book King of Soca, a soca performance by Sandra Bell and refreshments.
This one bridges generations beautifully. You have the pageantry of Carnival alongside the woman who witnessed and helped guide Machel’s journey from childhood performer to international star.
Flatbush Celebration with Lady Montano
September 3: Like Ah Boss Takes Over the Central Library Plaza
Later that evening, Montano’s story becomes larger than life, quite literally.
Beginning at 7 p.m., music fills the plaza at Central Library before a special outdoor screening of Like Ah Boss: Journey of a Soca King – Machel Montano is projected onto the façade of Brooklyn Public Library. The film is scheduled to begin at approximately 8 p.m.
The documentary offers an intimate look at Montano’s life and career, including his demanding 2015 Carnival season.
Important: Brooklyn Public Library currently lists registration for this September 3 screening as at capacity, so readers should check the official event page in case availability changes.
Like Ah Boss screening details and current registration status
September 9: Lady Montano Discusses King of Soca
As the exhibition approaches its closing weekend, Lady Montano returns to the Dweck Center on Wednesday, September 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. for a conversation centered on her book King of Soca: The Ultimate Insider.
Few people could tell Machel Montano’s story from her vantage point. Lady Montano has been his mother, manager and confidante while also preserving decades of memorabilia connected to his career.
The conversation will explore the transformation of the young Trinidadian performer who began at seven years old into the international artist known through different eras as Winer Boi, HD and MONK Monté. Registration is currently available through Brooklyn Public Library’s event page.
King of Soca conversation and registration
Don’t Miss the Exhibition
Even if you cannot make one of the special programs, Journey of a Soca King: The Exhibition remains on view through September 12 at Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza.
The exhibition brings together pieces of Montano’s career while telling a larger story about soca music, Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean identity and the very real connection between Brooklyn and one of the genre’s most successful ambassadors.
Montano has spent more than four decades helping carry soca around the world. Brooklyn Public Library’s celebration gives audiences an opportunity to experience that journey from several different directions: through artifacts, books, film, steel pan, storytelling, Carnival traditions and conversations with the people who know the story from the inside.
For me, that’s what makes this series special. It isn’t simply saying, “Here is a famous artist.” It is showing us the people, neighborhoods, cultural traditions and experiences behind the music.
And in Brooklyn, where Caribbean culture isn’t a visitor but part of the borough’s heartbeat, Journey of a Soca King feels right at home.
Explore Journey of a Soca King: The Exhibition and full Brooklyn Public Library schedule