Good show

BY CECELIA CAMPBELL-LIVINGSTON Observer reporter

Sumfest organisers pleased with 2014 staging

GODFREY Dyer, chairman of Summerfest Productions — organisers of Reggae Sumfest — is pleased with the staging of this year’s week-long event.

The chairman said while the final figures have not yet come in, things looked good from his vantage point.

“I honestly don’t have the numbers yet. I won’t get it for another couple days,” he said. “But everything went according to plan. Personally, I am happy with how it came off, patrons were able to leave before the sun came up. We had to bear in mind that some patrons walked to the venue, so we didn’t want to dismiss too early.”

Last year, organisers were contemplating shifting the festival to June as they were encountering challenges with artistes booked for summer overseas gigs. Dyer said those plans are now off the books.

“It’s all about early planning, that made a difference. What we need to do is plan early. I hope going forward this will continue,” he said.

Reggae Sumfest ran from Sunday, July 13, to Saturday, July 19. It kicked off with a Sumfest Beach Party at Aquasol Theme Park in Montego Bay, the momentum then shifted to hot spot Pier One for an all-white party. The last three days saw the marquee events — Dancehall Night, International Night I and International Night II — at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex in Montego Bay, St James.

The festival drew thousands of patrons to the parish to see top-flight local and international acts. These include Bounty Killer, Busy Signal, I-Octane, American rapper Wiz Khalifa, R&B singer Jason Derulo, US rapper Future, Chronixx, Beenie Man, Jah Cure, Sean Paul, Tessanne Chin, Freddie McGregor, and Sanchez.