The second stop for the LIME all-Island carnival, dubbed Soca Mesmerise, got underway last Saturday evening at the Portland Old Marina in Port Antonio, Portland. Picking up where it left off from Kingston, the travelling soca fete saw a massive crowd filling the venue from as early as 9:00 pm.

On the wheels of steel, DJ Charm kicked off the party with a variety of soca mixes. DJ Cyclone and DJ Kyratt joined in the mix and as the crowd grew, so did the vibe of the party. As the deejays released soca hits after hit; from as old as Collin Lucas’ Dollar Wine and Byron Lee’s Butterfly to present day hits Palance and Guh Down, patrons wined, gyrated and ‘palanced’ the night away, only taking a break to indulge in the beverage variety of sponsors.

By the time the party really got going, about 2500 persons were crammed into the marina as the vibe and energy of the party reached a crescendo. Title sponsors LIME raised the bar with exciting cellphone giveaways, which only led to Portland party goers wanting more from the event.

Cue the entrance and entertaining performance of former Magnum King and Queens of Dancehall contestant Tanto Blacks as he graced the stage, and ignited the Soca Mesmerise crowd. He brought the still-growing crowd to a dizzying frenzy with tracks like Ticklish Me and Anything. There were also performances from Dancing Dynamites contestants Blaze Family as well as the Portland Michael Jackson whose dance routine had the crowd in awe.

DJ Pepsi from Renaissance disco took over after the live acts and added something different in the form of Dancehall. The soca lovers did not mind this as they continued to revel. As the dancehall and soca mixes kept coming, patrons danced without cessation. Even as the early morning rain towered over the venue patrons only seemed to enjoy the party even more jumping and dancing to rhythm as the music moved them. This continued as both DJ Pepsi and DJ Charm teamed up on the turntable.

The party ended at 4:00 am and even after the music stopped, patrons wanted more. Indeed, the LIME all-island carnival had Portland in a soca daze, which the organisers note will give the other parishes an indication of what to look forward to.