Despite intermittent rainfall, the Emancipation Day staging of Funfest still managed to pull a massive turnout of patrons.

Held at Hope Gardens in Saint Andrew, the event catered to the young and young at heart.

Designed as a family affair, Funfest places emphasis on rides for the children for the early part of the event and as the day winds down, entertainment on the main stage caters to parents and adults.

“The numbers were a little down due to the weather, but we still pushed through and the patrons stayed with us. They were rewarded with easy access lines and rides all day,” explained Funfest co-promoter Gyete Ghartey.

He added, “We try to improve the event with every staging. So in January, we found that persons complained about the long wait in the food lines and less rides. Now we have less waiting time in the lines because we have more food vendors, and we introduced more rides.”

Funfest is held three or four times each year and according to Ghartey, the event’s continued success is solely based on the fact that it caters to the family.

“This is a family event and persons like to spend time with their families. This is the only event that rides are at the forefront. We have the concert in the evening, which is the icing on the cake,” said Ghartey.

A number of on stage activities throughout the day saw patrons, both young and old, winning gift baskets and prizes from sponsors. Among the activities were dance competitions and jingle competitions.

Among the highlights were magician Goldie, who wowed patrons with her routine, the Prodigies band from Jesse Ripoll Primary, whose repertoire comprises covers of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors and Norah Jones’ Don’t Know Why and No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley.

Members of Gifted Youth Ministry were impressive with their dance routine, gospel singer Tiffany Levy and gospel minister Rondell Positive were also crowd pleasers.

The next staging of Funfest is scheduled for January 1, 2020.