Gros Islet Friday night was “ram” as some would say, on the night of Friday November 1.
Apart from the regular hotel shuttles and taxis, bringing in the usual tourists to the Friday night hot spot, many locals were joining in on the fun.
However, more than that, the street party was teeming with visitors from Martinique and Guadeloupe. They were here for the first Yamaha Sunfest, held the following day.
No doubt, some good lambi, rum-punch and Piton beer in Gros Islet made for a good start ahead of the event.
The Yamaha Sunfest, which was launched here in August, was expected to positively impact vendors, suppliers and accommodations according to the Minister for Tourism Dr. Ernest Hilaire.
Events Saint Lucia was the primary organisation responsible for planning and executing the festival.
On the day of the event, Saturday November 2, heavy showers did not deter the many French visitors from attending. For some, it may have been a good respite from growing protests over food prices and the cost of living in the French territories. (Getting some “Zeb Wed” from Saint Lucia was also a bonus we were told.
The event was scheduled for a 10 am start but got off a little later, with performances by the French band Koezion and DJs Pro Style, DJ Chengz and Hyper D.
By early afternoon, larger groups of the French patrons made their to the Pigeon Island venue -some by boat. While many enjoyed the surrounding Pigeon Island waters, others drew closer to the bars or to the stage for the entertainment.
The beach-clad patrons were entertained by several DJ’s from Martinique, including Natoxie and DJ Redsun as well as Sir Lancealot and DJ Run it Red from Saint Lucia.
The DJ’s sets were interspersed with performances by several up and coming French artistes like Shanika, Le Wil and Deuspi and Shannon.
As the sun was setting the crowd grew larger, particularly with the arrival of many Saint Lucians then, convinced that the rain had ceased.
Saint Lucia’s DYP took to the stage and after stirring up the crowd, brought on an all-star cast of homegrown talent. They included Lu City, Imran Nerdy, Ezra, Umpa, BlackBoy and Ricky T.
Ahead of the final act, Hollywood HP livened up the crowd before the grimy looking Jamaican dancehall artiste Kraff took to the stage performing to a largely young fan base.
Kalash, the international French artiste who has performed in Saint Lucia before, was the main and final act. In the end he was able to draw quite a bit of crowd reaction from the rain, sun and rum drenched crowd who appeared to have had a good time all in all.
