I am in Negril for the Emancipation weekend and glad for the opportunity to observe for the first time, the production and staging of Red Stripe Temptation Isle. This is a series of nine events which got started on Thursday, July 31 and concludes today Sunday, August 3, 2008. The entire programme consists of six elaborate beach parties and three club sessions; two of which include live performances.
The first feature which impressed me was the complex outlay of temporary infrastructure which was installed at each of the seven venues. In keeping with an emphasis on dancing, all of the promoters constructed dance floors of different sizes and in some instances multiple dance floors, centrally located within the hosting venue. These were sophisticated structures with high-tech trusses, to which were attached moving, strobe, LED and intelligent lights, over transparent floors at some of the venues. A few of the events also boasted a performing stage. This for example was true of the first event, Tempo, held on Thursday.
Another novel feature was the extensive use of decorative props, which further enhanced the ambiance of each venue, while projecting the various party themes.
The original and largest party is Stages. For the last three years, it has been held at the UDC Football Field, next door to Long Bay Beach Park. Stages is a day and night affair. In an interview conducted on Friday afternoon, here is how Daniel Abbott, one of the promoters, described it to me.
“Stages this year, is about Rio de Janiero- we are inviting patrons to come and party on the white sand of a Brazilian beach and then experience the nightlife and hip-strip of Rio inside our clubs. We have two 5,000 square foot clubs that we have built at the venue to accommodate the night life of Rio. We also have quite a few VIP areas.
“This year Caymanas Park came on board as a sponsor, so we actually have an air conditioned area set up, that will accommodate live betting at Caymanas Park. We will be feeding live, the eleven races here at the venue throughout the day. You will be able to go and actually place your bet on a horse that is running live at Caymanas and have an opportunity to either win or lose.
“We also have Flow as a major sponsor now on board. For them, we have created a 5’ raised 52’ x 52’ area with a 40’ x 40’ air conditioned lounge that will feature Flow’s ‘watch-talk-click’ scenario so you can actually go on the internet. Temptation Isle also has their own channel which is 391 on the Flow Network. We will be streaming live video and live footage of the party on this channel throughout the weekend.
“Intec Lighting is a big part of our production annually. When we had our planning meeting this year, we came up with an idea that is slightly different than what you would normally see at most events. As you can see here, we have 40’ trussing. In the middle of this, you have two 10’ diameter rings which will be covered with LED lights all around which give you a chasing effect and a lot more flexibility in terms of lighting for the venue and special effects that can be created. We have a whole lot of intelligent lighting hanging from the trusses which will be the main intelligent lighting for the venue.
“Red Stripe is coming in with a brand new and very creative deejay lounge. This is actually a 24’ x 16’ bar. One floor above the bar is the deejay booth of the same square area, which gives the deejay the ability to oversee the entire venue and get a feel of exactly what is going on.
“This year, the venue is bigger because we have extended it into the water. It is normally on the football field only, but we have now taken out the fence and gone into the water itself. We have a four-storey water slide, 120’ long which takes you directly into the ocean when you slide on it. This will also carry you directly up to our swimmer’s bar.”
Intermittent afternoon showers slightly held up production load-in arrangements on Friday, but in no time they were back on schedule and the Daydreams ultra-inclusive was in full force by 2 o’clock, with a traffic jam stretching all the way along the strip from the roundabout at Negril’s square, to the party’s car park. This year however, patrons have mostly complied with police restrictions against parking on the street. I am told that compared to previous years, this has made it much more convenient for motorists to move up and down along the strip. In talking to patrons who have been attending these parties annually, the general feeling is that they get better and better each year.
Temptation Isle provides a good mix of entertainment and recreational activities at a level of sophistication that should make all Jamaicans proud of this product. Alex Chin and Daniel Abbott, along with their co-producers, deserve credit and congratulations for creating this concept and producing and excellent series annually, which significantly boosts Negril’s economy. In fact, from my discussions with various people involved in commerce in the town, for them, this year’s economic spin-offs surpass spring break.
Foot Note:
Will someone from the National Housing Trust please explain to the nation why Emancipation Park was closed on Emancipation Day, Friday, August 1, forcing hundreds of families who had turned up to enjoy the recreational facilities to remain on the streets?
Host: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20080802T180000-0500_138566_OBS_TEMPTATION_ISLE.asp
No comments:
Post a Comment