Campari Xodus Fete Gala was a burst of Caribbean fusion thanks to the different disc jockeys who were billed for the formal event on the East Lawns of Devon House in St Andrew on Wednesday.

Between Barbadian DJ Jus Jay, Trinidadians Major Penny, Papi Jae, Selectah Kerry, Tony X, Tegarooks, and Lurbz, as well as Florida-based DJ Sinistar, and Canadian-based DJ Brandan Duke, patrons had no complaints about the musical selections from start to finish.

The black, white, and gold affair — which was the third staging of a Fete Gala — encouraged patrons to exercise creativity in fashion as the name draws inspiration from the annual Met Gala held in the United States. Although men were in tuxedos, buttoned shirts, and dress-pants and shoes, while most women selected dresses of varying lengths, skilful make-up looks, and heels, the vibe was reminiscent of any regular high-energy fete.

Unlike the first two stagings, there were no live performances. However, the turntables did not hitch once as tunes across pop, R&B, reggae, and dancehall — both old and new school— and, of course, soca, kept the hundreds of partygoers entertained under the night sky.

Interestingly some attendees were exposed to a few of the selectors for the first time and were pleasantly surprised by their ability to maintain engagement in a Jamaican setting. This was true for many patrons from the Diaspora, who raved about how enjoyable the night was from its 9:30 pm start time to its 2:00 am cut-off point.

“I am so impressed at how a lot of these DJs and MCs from different countries know not just traditional soca genres, but all the Jamaican ones, and even some R&B, a bit of house music or EDM, and pop that’s more popular where I’m from. Tonight was amazing, and I’m so glad I got to experience this. The inclusive cocktails and the infamous Jamaican KFC that were complimentary definitely contributed to an amazing time. I will he returning, and I hope this becomes a staple for Xodus each Carnival season,” a Canadian, male patron who is visiting Jamaica for his second Carnival told the Jamaica Observer.

As he suggested, drink offerings were aplenty thanks to Campari and Appleton, who kept the cups filled all night. KFC was present, once again, issuing food until it exhausted its quota.

Meanwhile, a religious ‘Caribbean Carnival chaser’ said that she is in the island for the first time to access its experience after doing a bucket list of islands and their Carnival season. She was pleased with the experience, though adding that she’s never quite seen fêtes with a balance in genres.

“I took time off from work just to be here, and I researched that Xodus is the more established band, so I wanted my first Jamaican Carnival to be with the more structured band. It’s a pretty good experience, so far. I’m here with two of my friends and the costume pickup experience was very smooth. I loved that and they should keep it up. The gala has been interesting because it’s like a fete but a Caribbean/dancehall party at the same time and I’ve never seen that before. I like it,” she said.

Alicia Sewell turns heads in this ‘fit. Garfield Robinson

Lurbz onstage at Gala Fete. Garfield Robinson

The vibes ‘tun up’. Garfield Robinson

Kamal Bankay (left) and Scott Dunn Garfield Robinson

Friends Akilah Atkinson (left) and Keyanna Green show off their variation of the dress code. Garfield Robinson