THE novel coronavirus (COVID-19) may have caused a ban on social gatherings and entertainment events, but it certainly did not stifle the spirit of fans who turned out in numbers to enjoy Big Par Online, held Wednesday night.

Big Par was originally scheduled for today, but was rescheduled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Nevertheless, organiser of the event, Keanu “Shotbydeth” Gordon from Romeich Entertainment, said he could not let it kill the party spirit.

“Big Par was just forced to be held online. But I don’t know, it just got loose and we started trending worldwide and people started going crazy for the stream,” he told Jamaica Observer’s Splash.

However, as with any event, it faced its share of challenges. Gordon credits his teammates from Forever Ent — Padrique Duncan, Xavier Ashley, Leighton Campbell, Khori Edmond, and Jordon Hylton for pulling everything together.

“We linked up with our friends because they had a stream we could use to run it — that was last Sunday. The stream they gave us only could have a max of 200, so Padrique went shopping and found Radiolize. We maxed out this stream at 2,000 easy, easy, so at my house we have to be working socials heavy and we hear the stream crash. Outa nowhere, this man from Turkey, who owns the stream, hits us up and starts fixing it, allowing more and more people,” Gordon explained.

Patrons were able to “attend” the event via online radio platform Radiolize, that allows deejays to stream music to listeners.

After amassing an audience of more than 5,000, the online event was publicly applauded by the company’s owner.

“We did not know this was happening. We just realised non-stop increasing listener numbers…then contact with event owners. And while people were partying online, we had to fight technically from our homes to keep this unexpected Jamaican historical event to continue. Let’s make it even bigger next time!” read a release on the Radiolize Twitter page.

The party began minutes after 9:00 pm and went all the way to 2:00 am. Many Twitter users bought into the idea and started posting videos showcasing their dance moves which added to the excitement of Big Par Online. Some “patrons” simulated a soup and jerk man, which are synonymous with Jamaican events.

With ZJ Chome, DJ Mac, and DJ Kashmatic spinning songs all night, the audience was thoroughly entertained. Big Par Online even gained the attention of Kingston’s Mayor Delroy Williams who took to Twitter to share his commendations.

“Need a small Cabana next time. Crowded. Seriously though. Thanks for distracting and entertaining. We will get through this together,” he wrote.

According to Gordon, he never anticipated so much traction.

“We had our last staging in December and we went up against Unruly Fest and we did well, I must say, but this is crazy and we are still in shock to be honest,” he told Splash.