Despite the challenge in finding a venue to host the event, the road to Carnival was not blocked for the promoters of Soca Therapy.

The soca party brought the vibes and energy to 36 Hope Road in St Andrew, kicking off the season with non-stop music, dancing, and pure bacchanal.

The party got off to an energetic start and, by 11:30 pm, the venue was packed with revellers dressed for motion — ladies in short shorts; crop tops; decorative bras; and men in T-shirts, shorts and sneakers, all ready to get down to some soca.

The music was non-stop energy with DJ Franco, DJ Levi Chin, Rico the DJ, Brush 1 and Matt Camps whipping the large crowd into a frenzy with hit after hit, building hype, and maintaining high spirits throughout the night.

Pizza Hut, one of the night’s sponsors, turned up the fun by handing out boxes of pizza and branded rags to groups of five or more, fuelling the vibes and making sure patrons were fed while they feted. This was accompanied by beverages from the Worthy Park-sponsored bar, which was flooded with patrons whose go-to drinks for the night were white rum and sorrel beers.

David Bonner, the event’s promoter, was pleased with the execution of the event.

“The turnout is very overwhelming. If you look at the parking lot, it’s actually filled. We’re pleased with it. I’m looking forward to next year again,” Bonner told the Jamaica Observer.

“This year’s experience is a notch above last year, in terms of the theme especially. This theme is geared towards the ladies [and] we’re very strict about the soca music, you might only hear about three per cent dancehall,” he continued. “If it’s going to be dancehall, it’s going to be dancehall geared towards women or mixed or infused with soca.”

The promoter also gave insight into what it takes to pull off a party like Soca Therapy.

“First it’s the music, in terms of who you want to bring, it’s the dates because the party is themed Road to Carnival, which is a preparation for the road march, which is the last Sunday of this month. So it’s centred around that, in terms of getting the right package, the right venue, et al,” Bonner said.

He added that securing a venue during the busy soca season was very challenging.

“We had a struggle getting a venue, because Kingston is limited in terms of venues now, but we were able to pull it off, and it’s a nice experience so far,” he said.

Meanwhile, patrons of the event gave the party high marks.

“I like the vibe, the energy, and seeing people having fun dancing,” Khalel Ankle told the Observer.

Kerisha Campbell, a self-proclaimed soca lover, said: “I’m a soca person. I’m a vibesy person, mi love it straight vibes.”

One of the night’s deejays, DJ Matt Camps, acknowledged the crowd’s energy as “pretty good”.

“They just needed a little liquor to get into it, but eventually the crowd started to feel the music and once we played their favourites they definitely gave a good response,” he said, pointing to Too Own Way by Voice and PARDY by Machel Montano as crowd favourites.

Looking forward to the soca season, Matt Camps shared that he is excited about the road march at the end of April as well as his party, Soca Camp, which will be held on April 18.

Soca Therapy is among a string of events leading up to Carnival climax at the end of this month.