A spectacle was promised and a spectacle was delivered! The Reggae Sumfest team and Appleton Estate did not disappoint with their top-class production of the Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum Festival and Blitz event.
In fact, Stefano Furini, Marketing Director, J. Wray & Nephew Limited visioned a strong “partnership to bolster Jamaica’s economy and Celebrate our vibrant culture.” Joe Bogdanovich, executive producer, Reggae Sumfest, expressed satisfaction with the partnership “it is an impeccable pairing and enhances our week of activities.”
From the walk into the event to the decoration of the space, everything was set to create an unforgettable experience for the patrons.
Upon entering the rum festival at 1:00 p.m., patrons were greeted with a personal touch. Each attendee received a beautifully designed tumbler with Appleton Estate, along with the words Music, Rum and Art, which is what was being celebrated at this event.
This created an instant sense of community and anticipation among the people in attendance. Throughout the festival, these tumblers served as not just a memento, but also a practical utensil as everyone journeyed through an array of Appleton Estate Rum and mixed drink samples.
After collecting the tumbler, patrons toured a display of which showed the history of Appleton Estate Plantation, tracking its roots from the time of slavery. It even includes memoriam by artist Trishana Henry dubbed “Lest we forget”, which displays the name of over 100 of our enslaved ancestors who were on the Appleton Estate Plantation.
Once you passed through the display there was rum, delicious food and music combined to create the perfect day. Though rain fell, it added a touch of a muddy adventure (A muckfest) through which patrons continued to enjoy the event. Raincoats were given where possible and nothing stopped the memorable rum seminars, nor did it put out the stoves of the gourmet chefs who cooked delicious recipes with locally sourced ingredients.
There were giveaways, prizes and surprises from both Appleton and Reggae Sumfest and then it was finally showtime.
After electrifying performances by Royal Blu, 10 Tosh, Dash D and KinDah of Friday Night Crew, Jody Jay and Amanyea, it was finally time for the anticipated performance of Beenie Man as Moses Davis with a live band. The performance was everything expected and more. He performed hits after hits. This was after announcing “he did not write the program nor was the band his, but he would work with it.”
Selassie I pickney, his 2020 release set the tone for the performance with the band who did their best to keep up with the superstar’s performance.
The set which included Girls dem Suga, Zim Zimma and King of the Dance Hall had the entire crowd bob and grooving.
It was an evening where every sip was a new discovery, and all the music was simply nostalgic. When patrons were asked how the event was, the most popular response was, despite the rain they cannot wait to see what next year had to offer.
If you didn’t make it this time around, don’t let the next setting miss you.
Caribnewsroom.com