Red Stripe Bold stands out - Reggae Sumfest jump-off launch gives taste of MoBay

 Curtis Campbell, Gleaner Writer

The Red Stripe Bold Reggae Sumfest Jump Off Party at Barbican beach on Friday was like a mini Sumfest. The organisers went all out to create an atmosphere that is said to be just a taste of what patrons can expect from July 17-24.

Renaissance played selections from the king of R&B R. Kelly, who is slated to perform at the event this year.

At 9 p.m., the juggling was changed to old-school dancehall, and patrons started to make their way to the bar in large numbers, taking full advantage of the all-inclusive Red Stripe, while others rocked to selections from Beenie Man and Sizzla from the 1990s.

Copper Shot took over minutes after 9 p.m. and turned up the heat with more recent dancehall songs such as Lisa Hyper's Bill on the Go Go Club rhythm, Dj Sanjay then switched to the Diwali rhythm which went down well with the audience who sang along to Danny English and Egg Nogg's Party Time and a slew of others that followed.

At minutes after 10, Renaissance reclaimed the turntables and literally had the audience erupting after playing Cliff-twang Brown's Nobody Canna Cross it. The selectors were forced to play the DJ Powa remix several times before handing over to the event organisers who showed the audience clips of previous Sumfests.

Johnny Gourzong, the mastermind behind the yearly reggae festival, told The Gleaner that the partnership between Red Stripe had been very successful and mutually beneficial.

According to Gourzong, Red Stripe's innovative ideas were refreshing.

The Sumfest boss also said that, this year, the promotion for the event was relying heavily on social media to attract younger patrons, and that tickets would be available as early as July 4.

Sidney Bartley, a representative from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture encouraged Red Stripe to bring out a new product in celebration of Jamaica's 50th year of independence.

Safia Cooper, Red Stripe brand manager, unveiled an example of the VIP area that Red Stripe would add to the event.

It was a well-decorated area that was erected 17 feet off the ground, and according to Cooper, patrons could get a chance to win tickets by going to the Red Stripe Bold Facebook page and liking it.

Beres Hammond will be honoured at this year's staging of the event which has honoured veterans Bounty Killer and Beenie Man in previous years.

Guest artistes Chan Dizzy and Assassin brought the curtains down on the event with thrilling performances.