By Teino Evans, Staff ReporterIT WAS nothing but crazy fun and excitement in the Mas Camp Village on Oxford Road, New Kingston last Friday night, when Bacchanal Jamaica presented the 'Appleton V/X Bacchanal Playaz'.
As patrons filed through the entrances of the venue, they were greeted with many attractions, including booths that were set up to the right of the venue (when entering) that allowed patrons to trade their ticket stubs for items like bandannas to wave, pimp-looking hats and other carnival accessories.
Added to the mix of attractions, some patrons came dressed in some 'pimped out attires', especially Abe Baccharat, the emcee for the night, who had on his pimp hat and a green suit with black-spotted fur trimmings around the jacket. The women, however, were content with coming out in very little attire! Short shorts, skirts and hipsters were the order of the night for most female patrons.
The vibes, which started out relatively slowly, eventually picked up momentum, as patrons were kept jumping and gyrating to the musical spinning of Omar C and the Sparkles Disco, while Abe directed traffic on-stage with some girls from Hedonism II. Patrons were definitely feeling the vibes as they bubbled to some soca favourites like Look Di Band Coming, Jump and Tempted to Touch.
At 12:45, it was show time, as Destra and the Atlantik band from Trinidad took to the stage. "Yow Bacchanal, yuh ready!" This was Destra's shout from backstage, before she appeared, singing It's Carnival. At this point, the jam-packed Mas Camp Village went wild, with flags and rags swirling high above the heads.
The Atlantik band gave patrons more than 40 minutes of energy-filled performance on stage, doing songs like She Bumpa Ketch a Fire, Smoke, Fire Brigade, Misbehave, Jump and Soca Train.
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After patrons were allowed to catch their breaths for a brief moment (as sponsors had some give-aways on-stage), they were hit with another round of spirited performance from Imij and Company, who quickly had the vibes up and running again. The group performed songs like Hands in the Air, Look Di Band Coming and Girl Wine and Bend Over, before bringing Maximus Dan on-stage for a short, spicy set.
As if patrons were not already having the time of their life, organisers felt that it was time to add the finishing blow of fun and excitement, as they brought out the paint! It was share pandemonium inside of the Mas Camp Village, as patrons splashed and dashed paint all over each other, while using the opportunity to grab a body part or gyrate on their painted victims.
When the madness settled, patrons were told that the rest of the party would be hitting the road, so saddle up!
The soca madness then continued on the road in the wee hours of the morning (after 4:00 a.m.), as hundreds of partying patrons marched and gyrated down Oxford Road. The parade then headed up Knutsford Boulevard, turned on to Trafalgar Road, down Old Hope Road and then back to the Mas Camp Village on Oxford Road, where a complimentary breakfast awaited patrons. You had to be there to believe it, as sheer madness and excitement reigned on the streets of Kingston. It was a full night and day of soca partying and excitement, as patrons barely managed to drag themselves home.
