Patrons get it on at "Beach J'Ouvert", held at James Bond Beach, St.Mary on Saturday. -photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

It was frenzy on James Bond Beach, St. Mary last Saturday as Beach J'ouvert 'Once Upon an Island' reached feverish pitches for many patrons.

When The Gleaner team reached the beach about 4:00 p.m., there was already a large crowd dancing and drinking up a storm. The bar was crowded, the Digicel girls walked around handing out Digicel giveaways and the foam pit already had more than a few patrons enjoying themselves.

With free drinks all night, give-aways and a fun-filled line-up of Kes The Band, Traffik and Shurwayne Winchester, it was an early vibe for some patrons who got painted early and were anxious for the night to get into full swing. DJ Switch was manning the turntable as he played hits from Machel Montano, Shurwayne Winchester, Destra's Max It Up and many more. He hailed the patrons already there as he said: "Let's hear it up for the early dutty crew! Show di people who just reach yuh ready," as he went into Flags Up. He invited those girls who knew they had a 'coca cola' bottle shape to come back-stage and get painted in the coca cola colours. Two energetic young ladies eagerly ran backstage.

After 4:00 p.m., more persons entered the venue. some made their way straight to the 'no paint' area as the arrival of the paint truck ushered a mad rush to the back of the field.

Paint was available in orange, yellow, blue and green, as persons carried hats, mugs and cups to put paint in and ran around the venue painting friends and strangers. Some were seen running away in record time to avoid getting doused; others ran towards the paint, getting it all over.

Paint in eyes

Some patrons were even slightly blinded as they rubbed paint from their eyes but soon rejoined the fun to paint others. While there was a lot of paint, it finished too quickly for some who couldn't get enough.

Patrons obviously enjoyed getting soaked and soon made their way to the Digicel red carpet where they could get hosed off.

Soon after getting dutty, the selectors made way for Kes the Band out of Trinidad. Kes was excellent as they sang original songs such as One Day, The Calling and other soca favourites like Frenzy among others. They also brought in a little rap and dancehall flavour singing Driver A and Akon's I've Got You.

Then it was time for the Coca cola girls to emerge as they came out in their colours for a wining contest. The girls gyrated for the crowd. two female members thought they could do better. Lead singer Kes, invited the two on stage as they danced to Dutty Wine and Tick Tock. The winner got the chance to dance with Kes himself who showed off his wining skills. A good set by Kes was slightly marred as one of the lead singers in the group Nadia Batson collapsed. An emergency attendant was called and the young lady got back up escorted by friends. Kes apologised to the crowd but ended the set a bit early.

Traffik

Kes The Band performs at 'Beach J'Ouvert', held at James Bond Beach, St.Mary on Saturday.

After a brief pause, the vibes cooled down to be brought back by Traffik in their Jamaican colours some patrons had started to leave after 7:00 p.m., the substantial numbers that were left 'wukked' up as Traffik performed. Patrons moved with the group as they commanded them to the left, right and back of the stage.

Then they dimmed the lights for the entrance of Shurwayne Winchester. He came out to his smash hit Still Coming. It was one of Winchester's best performances in Jamaica, as he got the crowd moving, wining and waving their flags. He removed the barriers at the front of the stage and handed out bottles of water to the patrons who threw water in the air on his command.

About to 10:00 p.m., Winchester left the stage to cheers from the crowd as some last-minutesoca hits were played for those not eager to leave the party. Shortly after 10:00 p.m., the patrons filtered out, some obviously drunk and colourful the majority enjoyed it, some complained that the year before had better vibes. For newcomers, it was an enjoyable experience.