SHANGHI, China — The Caribbean Association in China (CAC) had its 4th annual Caribbean Christmas Party recently at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Shanghai, Fudan. It featured the Caribbean islands and many of their trimmings.

The party has become such a popular event that tickets were sold out without any formal advertising being done this year as the Caribbean people hungered for the traditional flavour of the Yuletide season that their new abode cannot provide.

There were just over 300 people in attendance from at least 20 different nationalities which included Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Mexico, Uruguay, the USA, The Netherlands, Spain, Ghana, Zambia, Malaysia and South Korea, among others. Francisco Vasquez from Spain, who was in attendance, commented: “It feels like a mini-UN with the numerous nationalities represented.”

The yearly event initially began as an effort to give Caribbean nationals (especially students) an opportunity to celebrate Christmas together in Caribbean style, as many were unable to afford the ticket home for the holidays. So, to minimise that longing for home especially during such a family-oriented season, this event was a way to experience a piece of home away from home. Since then each party has gotten bigger and better, offering a unique and authentic Caribbean-themed experience.

This year the theme was ‘The Colours of the Caribbean’. According to Vasquez: “It was a vibrant combination of rhythms, energy, colours and tastes. Pure hedonism concentrated in one night.”

There was an all-you-can eat buffet which had a wide array of food from various Caribbean islands: St Lucian fig salad, Jamaican chicken soup, jerk lamb stew with guava sauce, creole fish stew, curried meatballs in coconut rundown, rice and peas, plantain tarts, coconut drops, little rum and chocolate puddings, corn cake, tropical fruit, and many other delectable Caribbean dishes. Farhan Husain, who hails from the US, couldn’t get enough of the rum and chocolate pudding, saying he had to restrain himself because he did not want to look greedy.

DJ Brent Parker, who hails from the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, spun music mostly from the different Caribbean islands that saw patrons jamming to the irie sounds of Jamaican-born Busy Signal, Tallpree from Grenada, Destra from Trinidad and Tobago, and many other Caribbean artistes. The DJ sets were interjected with various live performances by foreign students based in Shanghai; there was dancing, singing, and a fashion show that featured Caribbean carnival outfits.

For Sergios Ignatenko from Ukraine, it was “my first occasion being surrounded by so many attractive black women and I was just happy taking in the beautiful sight of them”. His fellow Ukranian Oleksii Ganziuk concurred, saying: “Some ladies were extremely hot and attractive, especially the ones from the Caribbean, sexy women with charming round hips and ravishing smiles.”

Though the night was about fun, it is still an opportunity to raise funds for the CAC’s charity projects. There was a raffle to support these charity initiatives: Giving Tree Christmas gift bags for disadvantaged Chinese school children, the Chang lin Migrant school, and the Chi Heng Foundation which works with HIV/AIDS affected children in China.

A large selection of donated prizes included a day of go-karting, bottles of authentic Jamaican rum, vouchers, and a complimentary meal at the Boxing Cat Brewery restaurant. Topping the bill for prizes were some of Shanghai’s prominent hotel establishments: a night’s stay at the Crowne Plaza Shanghai Fudan, Sunday brunch at the Sheraton Hongqiao and Puli Hotel, a stay at the Pullman Hotel’s Thai Room and a night for two donated by the Howard Johnson Business Club hotel.

The night would not have been complete without the limbo competition, which has become a CAC party tradition, and this year saw guests limboing the tune of the Soca Boys Follow The Leader.

After the limbo competition it was time for all to hit the dance floor and the music swept guests of all ages into island fever.

The party ended at 11:30pm, however, guests who wished to keep the party going got on shuttle buses that took them to the after-party at D10 Club, a nightclub located in Shanghai’s popular French Concession area.

This was the first major event under the leadership of Byronie Richards since her appointment as CAC president in June 2011. She thought the party was a brilliant way to round off an excellent year of activities at the CAC, with 2012 promising to see even more social events taking place.

“The overall consensus of the attendees was that the CAC has once again lived up to its reputation of throwing one of the best Christmas parties in Shanghai. Thanks to the best team — the CAC executive body who worked together in planning and executing a fabulous party.”