Conquer and surrender to soca
Published:Friday | February 21, 2014 | 12:00 AM
The Road to Bacchanal started off with a bubbling bang last Tuesday night. With the sweet music of soca pulsating in the background, the frenzied fete lovers, sponsors, as well as respective media houses, gathered at the Knutsford Court Hotel for the press launch of Bacchanal 2014.
The theme, 'Conquer and Surrender', was kicked into full gear with the lovely host Sara Lawrence starting off the evening's proceedings. Director of Bacchanal Jamaica, Michael McMorris, announced that the start of Bacchanal Fridays will be themed, with weekly socacise fuelled by Gatorade to commence the week following opening night. He mentioned that Roy Cape will be gracing soca with his presence for the first time over a decade, and other soca monarchs such as the energetic Destra Garcia, the Viking Bunji Garlin and his wife Fay Ann Lyons, as well as Kes will be here for the 2014 season of Bacchanal.
first queen costume competition
With many sponsors promising prizes and surprises this upcoming bacchanal season, there were those such as Jermaine Bibbons, spirit brand manager of Diageo, who made his grand entrance following the roaring of trumpets as a king. He announced that Smirnoff will be introducing the first queen costume competition and that they will be sponsoring the first two Bacchanal nights.
The talk of the night, too, was the Battle of the Sexes: Soca Edition, orchestrated by Digicel, another major sponsor, and refereed by Tahnida Nunes. The heat was definitely on as both J. Lee and Sparks clashed for the top spot. In the end, lady Sparks emerged victor, proving that girls can run the soca world too.
The highlight of the evening came in the showcase of the many vibrant and trendy costumes for the carnival season. So look out, Bacchanal is here to conquer so you better surrender!