Port Royal Seafood Festival finds success

Curtis Campbell, Gleaner Writer

The 2012 staging of Jenny Jenny Productions' Port Royal Seafood Festival was a huge success, as hundreds of patrons streamed in despite the threat of rain to feast on professionally prepared seafood and bask in the finest of Jamaican entertainment.

Promoted as a family event, the festival attracted patrons from all age groups and the performers of the night kept their performances clean.

Earlier, activities included the Grace Celebrity Cook-Off, which saw the likes of Leader of Opposition Andrew Holness going up against TVJ's Debby Bisoon, Archibald Gordon and radio personality Kenneth Reid.

However, the popular personalities were outdone by Joylene Griffiths Irving of Scotiabank.

Gordon placed second, Bisoon third and Holness fourth.

During activities onstage, the accredited vendors kept some patrons busy by drawing them to their stalls with the scent of fried fish, shrimp, octopus, crabs and other seafood.

Plenty activities

There were also games and rides for the children.

Performers such as Roy Rayon, One Third, Freddie McGregor, Jahdore, Esco Levi, Aidonia and Popcaan gave patrons creditable displays of Jamaican music.

However, it was Tommy Lee Sparta who owned the attention of the audience as they roared at the mere announcement of his arrival.

During his much-anticipated set, the Montego Bay deejay delivered songs such as Lyrical Bomber, Psycho, Betray The Gaza Boss, Goat Head, Some Bwoy and Mechanic.

There was also an exciting clash, featuring DJ Tropical and DJ Speng of Hitz FM.

Encouraged by MC Pretty Boy Floyd, the DJs kept the audience entertained, using songs from Buju Banton's catalogue to face off. There was also an interesting face-off between the two in a round called 'Brown Kartel and Black Kartel', where the DJs played songs from the artiste, using his change in skin colour as a marker for the change in eras.