6500 party hard

Powda is on its way to becoming one of the biggest j’ouvert fetes for the Crop Over season.

Last Saturday at the Vaucluse Racetrack, St Thomas, the event pulled in approximately 6,500 patrons who partied from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The seven hours of non-stop partying faced a myriad of problems, such as long lines at the entrance, frustrated patrons and technical issues during performances.

The event, known for its paint, water and powder concept took a shift, with promoters offering a foam section instead of the usual water tankers that sprayed into the crowd. In its third year, Powda promoters were exceptionally organised as there was also a distribution tent for paint and powder.

The event officially started at 12:30 a.m. with a spectacular fireworks display which left patrons in awe. The first act of the night was Shanta Prince who threw it back with her 2017 Sweet Soca hit Stush and Throw Wine from 2018. She also performed her latest single Drip.

When Peter Coppin welcomed Peter Ram to the stage, the audience was hyped. His opening tune, Boat In De Road, ignited their power soca spirits as they chanted with Ram. He kept the crowd going with tunes Fabulouso, I Need A Woman By My Side, Crop Over Good Morning and Push Back.

Powda had a blend of party tunes and groovy soca that kept the crowd on edge. The ladies rushed to the front of the stage when Marzville came on. The soca crooner had the ladies “pelting waistline” with Wuk and Owe Me. During his set, he brought out Party Monarch Mikey who performed Wukkin Friend, Energy and Action Time Again.

The father-son duo, Verseewild and Xtrawild, also got the guys and gals in the crowd amped with their Crop Over tune So Extra and it intensified with King Bubba’s set, especially when he performed She Always Bend Over. The excitement continued during the performances by Bashment soca favourites, Stiffy and Lil Rick.

Lil Rick performed a majority of his new releases such as Can’t Style Me, Yea and Sugar Lump. During his performance of Jam Down, he announced that he will be performing the power soca in the Soca Monarch Finals and he will also be defending his International Bashment Monarch title with Balance Batty.

The crowd was in an uproar when the headlining act, Trinidadian soca artiste Shal Marshall teased Splinters. Even when his 30-minute set finished, the crowd continued to party. However, the music was brought to an abrupt halt just before 6 a.m. when a brawl started. Nevertheless, the hundreds gathered were reluctant to leave, calling for more.

While speaking to Bajan Vibes, Organiser Daniel Evelyn apologized for the bottleneck at the doors. He promised that for Powda 2020, the organisers will regroup and come back even better.

“This year the demand was so high, we weren’t able to fully accommodate the influx at the doors. I apologize for any inconvenience or bottlenecking. We always strive to make it as easy as possible for all patrons to enjoy not only affordability but access the venue,” he stated.

       “Powda is always listening to the people and Powda is always trying to make Powda better. We listen to you and we will make it better every year,” Evelyn added.