A night locals won’t soon forget — that’s what Trinidad born soca singer Destra Garcia is hoping to offer fans later this month.

The ‘Queen of Bacchanal’ last visited these shores five or six years ago and admitted she was “really excited” and couldn’t wait to be back in Bermuda.

She will be performing at the Bermuda Salute event, hosted by Spectrum Global Ent, at Tiger Bay on August 30. Jamaican dance hall artist, Konshens, and Lady Saw, the Queen of Dancehall, will also be headlining the show; while local performers Jesse Seymour and King Cami Cam (aka Cami Bean Caines) will be opening up for the stars.

Ms Garcia said: “People always ask me ‘What can they expect when they come to my show?’ But a lot of people know when I hit the stage it’s going to be a lot of energy. I come to party and let everyone have a good time.”

Unlike other shows or concerts where people sit down for the whole show, she said people should anticipate being on their feet for the entire soca fete.

“A lot of songs that I’ll perform people know, but there will also be a lot of new ones,” she explained. “It’s been five or six years since I have been back here so we have some catching up to do.”

Ms Garcia got her first taste of stardom in 1999, but has been singing since the age of ten.

Her grandfather was the late jazz musician Frankie Garcia, while her father Lloyd Garcia is an accomplished guitarist.

She was still in secondary school when she won her school’s Calypso Monarch competition for the first time. After that she won the title for five consecutive years, composing every one of her songs.

She told The Royal Gazette: “Well I started to perform because I had a love for what I do. I love singing and performing. I was told I had a great voice and there were competitions going on for youth so I entered and won.

“After that I got addicted to the crowd and cheering of my name and made it an annual thing. Every Carnival I would be on stage.”

Ms Garcia doesn’t just perform at Trinidad’s Carnival, she spends a large chunk of the year singing at Carnival inspired events throughout the Caribbean and US.

She said she would support there being a Carnival in Bermuda — which was an idea recently proposed by popular soca artist Machel Montano.

“It’s always great to have a Carnival because of the things it brings,” Ms Garcia said. “It brings unity, peace and togetherness and it’s always nice for people to have some sort of enjoyment. Bermuda’s Cup Match is a lot like that. It’s not Carnival, but it’s a time when people come together.

“So it’s always nice and something I would encourage everywhere because I know how big our Carnival is and how much tourism it can bring. So I encourage it, as long as I can get to be a part of it.”

Although her schedule in recent years has been hectic, the stars aligned for her to take part in Bermuda Salute.

Her hope is that everyone would leave the bash feeling tired and ‘worked up’. “You know when you have a great time at a party or after going out at night if people leave wanting more,” she said.

“I want to leave them tired because they had such a great time dancing and enjoying the fete. That way they know it was worth it and I gave the people a great show.”

She said the show will be an “upgrade” from her last one in Bermuda — seeing that she’s more confident and experienced than she has ever been.

“People know what to expect if they follow me on Instagram and see where I have been. They know what they are getting themselves into,” she said.

“They know the hype that has been around myself and the band and it’s always the same wherever I go. We mash up the party, we mash up the place, that’s what they can expect and what they are going to get.”

Bermuda Salute will also feature host Nadanja Bailey and DJs iBreeze and D’General. Tickets to the event, $85 for general or $175 for all-inclusive VIP, are available online: www.ptix.bm. They can also be purchased at Jamaican Grill, Fish N’ Ting and Pizza House locations, as well as Impressions on King Street and Quickie Lickie Laundromat in Hamilton.