Gareth Davis Sr, Star Writer

Winifred, Portland:

The second staging of Portland Beach Rave and party was from all indication a huge success, especially with the large turnout of patrons, including tourists to the parish's most pristine beach, Winifred.

Held recently, the day and night event, which was staged by Teliff 'Peter' Hall of Cristal Entertainment, was held under perfect weather conditions, and, as such, attracted thousands of beachgoers, including females dressed in their swimwear, who were entertained by one of Jamaica's most popular sound system, Stone Love.

Patrons were thrilled throughout the entire day with a variety of musical selections from Stone Love, including soul, disco, calypso, reggae, and dancehall.

Billed as a family-oriented event, Beach Rave lived up to its expectations and the many giveaways and other surprises were just some of the added entertainment provided by Hall, who pointed out that he is merely fulfilling a lifelong dream of transforming the parish into a place of entertainment, to make up for the decline in tourism.

"The spin-off from this event is great," commented Hall.

Field day

"Vendors had a field day, and I am sure that many of the vendors are still counting the profit made from Beach Rave. Approximately 10,000 persons passed through the event at one time or otherwise, and it was incident-free. I must commend the police for their hard work, and also the patrons for being on their best behaviour. It is always a challenge staging events like this one, and I am hoping that come next year, I will be able to generate some well-needed sponsors."

The food, including jerked pork, curried goat and steamed fish, was heavily consumed by patrons, who also took time out to savour the many alcoholic beverages.

"Portland really needs a beach party, especially during the holiday period. I am particularly amazed that we were able to attract that many tourists. This is a viable product that will only get bigger, and this belongs to the people of this beautiful parish," said Hall.