DAY ONE
Taking a shot every time you saw an influencer at the second staging of the Jamaica Rum Festival would have been the fastest way to get you drunk.
The event kicked off in the early afternoon on Saturday February 29. I made my arrival as it approached 5pm, amid the gloomy, rainy weather. The first thing I noticed as I got through the redemption was the archway lined with screens displaying the Jamaica Rum Festival Logo. Patrons in Hawaiian shirts and floral prints lining up to get their pictures taken in front of them. Continuing and glimpsing everything the festival had to offer was quite exciting. I had to experience everything. It was so overwhelming the sheer amount of activities there seemed to be available.
Circling the grounds as best as I could, peeking into each of the bars and booths. I took notice of how each of the brands’ personas translated into how their booths were executed. Wray and Nephew brought patrons into Jamaican street dancehall culture with dominoes, provocatively dressed hostesses in vibrant colours. Appleton Estates delivered a journey through time in classic elegance on to the plantations where the rum making process began. Many of the large company booths included personalized activities patrons could take part in. From the Cash Grab game at Scotiabank to a Virtual Reality experience at MonyMusk.
After my look around, I made my way to the show area. The stage was outstanding. It was huge and adorned with the Jamaica Rum Festival logo (in case you forgot where you were), lined with jumbo screens and complete with bandstands both on and above the stage. While I wanted to stand there for a while and take it in, I realized I was hungry and needed to find food.
In the Food Village, taking in the lines made me suddenly lose my appetite. Purchased meal tickets had to be taken to designated booths to redeem food. Queues of people were large; I was not going to wait that long. The organizers grossly miscalculated the amount of persons who were going to be in attendance who in turn would be needing food. I decided I could eat some other time.
Next on the to-do list were the seminars. I was looking forward to these because of the promise that they’d be engaging and enlightening. A Seminar by Appleton Estates enabled me to live my master mixologist dream through a Mixology lesson ending in an impromptu cocktail competition (let me know if you all want the recipe to ‘Passion on Fire’). In a seminar led by past Miss Jamaica contestant Christelle Harris and present Director of Marketing at Hampden Rum, I went on a journey through the rum’s history and manufacturing process. I wasn’t let down, the seminars outdid themselves. Night fell and it was time for the real reason everyone came.
My CARIB VOXX media pass granted me direct access to the stage which I was glad for because as soon as the performances began, the crowd tightened and pressed forward. Tessellated opened, performing some of his most popular singles including ‘I Learned Some Jazz Today’ and ‘Searching’. Zac Jone$ made an appearance in the set for a rendition of ‘Freezer’ and ‘Miss Jamaica’. Naomi Cowan lent her vocals to perform smash-hit ‘Pine and Ginger’. Cowan later returned in her set singing favourites like ‘Peace of Mind’ and ‘Paradise Plum’ also debuting publicly her newest single ‘Climbing’. Singer Mortimer followed with a soulful performance delivering hits from his latest EP ‘Fight The Fight’ such as ‘Careful’, ‘Misery’ and crowd favourite ‘Lightning’. Next was Bugle with an electrifying performance singing some of his biggest hits. His set ended with his new single ‘Life Saviour’ featuring Noah Powa and Norman Alexander, both of whom made appearances.
A definite highlight of the evening was Protoje and The Indiggnation, some of the best stage performers Jamaica has to offer. Protoje, Lila Iké, Sevana, Naomi Cowan and Jaz Elize all have such a strong and unmatched stage presence. The entire set was amazing. After bringing them out for their songs, Protoje gave us his fiery performance with hits like ‘Blood Money’ and ‘Who Knows’. Jesse Royal made his appearance for ‘Lion Order’ and ‘Mortimer’ for ‘Truths and Rights’.
Jamaica Rum Festival Day One concluded with dancehall star Ding Dong and the Ravers in a high energy set that saw him climbing the stage rigging and DJing down to a shocked crowd. Some of his biggest songs of the last few years such as ‘Lebe Lebe’, ‘Snapping’ and ‘Good Tings Dem’ were performed. The day was well spent. I had enjoyed myself despite my fatigue and was ready for the next day of activities.
DAY TWO
I entered the venue the next day with very few goals, the most important of them to get tipsy. It was Rum Fest and Day One saw me having barely one drop of anything remotely alcoholic. Day two was solely about enjoyment. My first stop after entering the venue was to collect my mug and drink chits that I hadn’t yet collected. I began my mission to find a drink. I never fully grasped the drink chits system until after the event. Each person got four 2 oz rum samples and four ‘Wildcard’ chasers of choice at the participating bars. I stopped at MonyMusk for white rum and then Tru Juice for sorrel. I hadn’t yet eaten and needed to before drinking so I steeled myself in preparation for the ridiculous lines.
I had tried to cut my wait time in half by pre-buying my meal beforehand but the Food Village was surprisingly more organized on Sunday. The booths were now making transactions on their own, significantly uncomplicating the process. Without the madness that was yesterday, I finally got a chance to pay attention to the dishes the booths had available. Of course, there was the event staple of Bad Dawg Sausages but because this was a rum centred event, everything had the essential alcoholic twist. It was a sea of infused, reduced, flavoured and pickled with rum choices. I grabbed my ham and cheese wrap, spread with a rum mayo no less and headed toward the stage for the festival’s closing concert.
Being a little inebriated I proceeded to observe the show. Indie Allen opened with a set true to his roots rock reggae style. Among songs performed was his latest single, ‘The West’. Following Indie was veteran Reggae artist Freddie McGreggor who had the crowd grooving to his distinctively melodic vocals. The ladies especially enjoyed his set with sections specifically dedicated to them. Cocoa Tea then made his appearance performing in his trademark smooth and easy-going voice some of his biggest tracks. Kymani Marley followed in a high energy set performing ‘Rule My Heart’, a song that the crowd particularly enjoyed, also bringing out Runkus who performed a few songs of his own. The night ended magnificently with the original “Fire Man” Capelton blazing across the stage in a bright gold ensemble. If his impossibly energetic DJing wasn’t enough to sober you, it was the intermittent pillars of fire almost literally singeing your eyebrows from the base of the stage and suddenly, I wasn’t drunk anymore. Capleton was there to deliver a sermon. He warned to be wary of the friends we kept and the information we consume through his fiery tracks. The show couldn’t have capped more perfectly.
This was Jamaica Rum Festival 2020. A drunken weekend where aunties and uncles (and aunties and uncles a heart!) across Jamaica got the opportunity to immerse themselves in the history, making, and drinking of the alcoholic beverage we as a nation are most famous for. Like any event, there were the lows, but it’s safe to say they were ultimately drowned out by the highs. The festival will definitely be an event I will look forward to attending in its next staging. To the people of Jamaica: secure your presold tickets at the earliest possible time.
