Entertainment

Pandemonium at Botanical Gardens

On Sunday July 24 sweet steel pan music moved from the sands of Brandon’s Beach to the lawns of the National Botanical Gardens without missing a single beat. With this year’s Crop Over Festival entering its final week more Barbadians are attending events that were taken from them for two years due to the Covid -19 pandemic. The renaming and relocating of this island’s mega steel pan concert was a major success. Shedding the name Pan Pun De Sand and adapting a new one Pandemonium made little different to the glorious music rendered by a large cast of panists- most of them secondary school students.

From as early as 3 o’clock and under a warm afternoon sun thousands of Barbadians and visitors gathered under trees with their picnic baskets, fold-up chairs, and blankets. This Crop- Over events can truly be billed as a family event. As you look across the vast area of the National Botanical Gardens it was easy to see clusters of family groups. From granny and granddaddy to young toddlers came to take in the activities.

It was a day for pan and pan we got. The sound of pan music permeated the air and with that a spell was casted. As the music resonated people responded with -‘ movementations’ -dance

Pandemonium was properly planned by the National Culture Foundation (NCF) and credit must be given to them. The idea to have the smaller pan orchestras, groups such as Let we go, The Barbados Community College, Pan Ensemble, Phoenix Steel Orchestra and the National steel Orchestraplaying on trailer trucks and moving through the crowd bought about intimacy of pan and people. On the main stage Barbados and the world were treated to an outstanding performance by the National Youth Orchestra. This orchestra consist of secondary students from a variety of schools. Apart from the manifestation of their musical talents these young Barbadians gave solid evidence that more constructive and productive young people than we are led to believe.

The blend of singing to pan music is fresh and give a new dimension to well-known songs and singers. The huge crowd was treated to performances from Red Plastic Bag, Lil Rick, Allison Hinds, Nikita, Leadpipe, Sadis, Biggie Irie , Peter Ram the Mighty Gabby and many others.

There was no mayhem, no havoc or no chaos as most people would expect at a pandemonium. The Pandemonium in the National Botanical Gardens was a musical uproar which energized the thousands who attended.

Entertainment

Sagicor Life Inc. Lighting Ceremony This Friday

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment will host the Sagicor Life Inc. Lighting Ceremony this Friday, November 1, marking the start of the annual community Independence celebrations.

This year’s ceremony will be held under the theme Celebrating Our Communities: Re-engaging, Re-igniting, Re-imagining, and will take place on Friday, November 1, at 5:30 p.m., at National Heroes Square, The City.

Following the Lighting Ceremony, the celebrations will continue with a Bajan Brew at 7:00 p.m., offering an evening filled with spouge, drama, song, and steel pan performances.

The event is free and open to all, providing an opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy the rich cultural heritage of Barbados as we celebrate Independence.

Patrons are encouraged to arrive early and make any necessary transportation arrangements due to expected road closures in the vicinity of Wharf Road and Trafalgar Street. (PR/GIS)

Entertainment

A SEA OF YELLOW AT RISE & RUM BREAKFAST PARTY

Patrons enjoyed a day filled with food, fun, and sun at Rise and Rum, the penultimate event of this year’s Barbados Food and Rum Festival.

Food lovers had an abundance of delicious dishes to savour on Saturday—from roasted breadfruit and seafood boils to various fish delicacies and scrumptious desserts, offering a wide array of options to enjoy.
Of course, there was no shortage of entertain, and local bands Square One and Krosfyah once again teamed up to keep the crowds grooving as they enjoyed their savour foodie treats in fine style.

Entertainment

Let us celebrate Jackie Opel

Tuesday 27^th August was a significant day in the history of local music. It marked the birthday of Dalton Bishop better known as Jackie Opel. The musical icon would have turned 84. Jackie Opel was an outstanding singer, composer, and creator of the Spouge music genre who was born on August 27, 1938, in the inner-city area of Chapman Lane.

*Shantal Munroe Knight, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office*

In 1962 Jackie migrated to Jamaica where he lived for six years. He was influential in the formative careers of some of Jamaica’s iconic entertainers. From Bob Marley to Jimmy Cliff, Ken Hopeton, Alton Ellis, and the early days of the band The Wailers.

On his return to Barbados Jackie Opel was gearing up to take his career and his newly created spouge music to a higher level. Plans were afoot to produce a concert, but fate was not kind, and he died in a car accident on Bay Street on March 9, 1970.

Special Free Concert Yesterday

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) hosted a special concert, last night, in Freedom Park to honour Jackie Opel.

A cast of some of the island’s top singers graced the stage to perform a wide range of spouge songs. The modest audience can count themselves lucky to have attended an event that will be a benchmark in local music history.

Artists thrilled those in attendance

Performers included the following, Wendy Alleyne, Shadia Marshall, Keisha Christian, Mickey Dee, Mike Grosvenor, Colin Spencer, Desmond Weekes, Jamal Slocombe, Simon Pipe, D J Simmons, Bit Bit, Ishiaka, Romario Greaves, Alix Cage, Adrian Clarke and Edwin Yearwood.

Senator the Hon. Shantal Munro-Knight, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office delivered the opening remarks, and Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong delivered the feature address. It was generally felt by those in attendance that a Jackie Opel Birthday Concert should be held annually. (Article and photos by Christopher Williams)