Andrew Bellamy, managing director for I Love Soca Jamaica lauded the inaugural staging of Rytz as a huge success.

The pre-carnival event was held in conjunction with Tipsy Music Festival.

“The potential to continue this premium event is huge. People are enjoying themselves, and we see how our sponsors are happy. I think this product is actually gonna become a big thing for next year and the years to come,” Bellamy told the Jamaica Observer.

Rytz (derived from the word “ritz”) was held on Thursday at The University of the West Indies, Mona Fields.

It featured popular soca act Kes The Band as the headliner, as well as the 2024 Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Road March Winner Mical Teja.

For almost two hours, Kes treated the semi-formally clad patrons to hit after hit, including
Bacchanalist, Hard Wuk, Fallin’, Wotless, and
Boss Lady.

Patrons could be seen grooving to the selections, as they warm up for the ‘big day’ on Sunday.

They also took advantage of the premium liquor options and were sure to stop by the photo imaging areas to capture their memories.

Speaking to the Observer after his satisfying set, Kes beamed at yet another opportunity to have performed on a Jamaican stage.

“This is coming home to family. Jamaica has kinda grown me up, too; I’ve been coming here for half of my life. So Jamaica has seen me grown from strength to strength, and there are a lot of special people out here. It was an honour. It’s always a pleasure,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zamani Moodie, managing director of Tipsy Music Festival, shared similar sentiments about the favourable outcomes of the event.

This turnout is overwhelming. The energy is beyond anything I expected and, as a whole, the product is exactly what we envisioned,” Moodie told the Observer.