Janet Silvera, Hospitality Jamaica Coordinator

The fastest man in the world, Asafa Powell (left), is greeted by triple-grammy awardee, Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley, backstage at Reggae Sunsplash.

At midnight last Saturday night, the residents of Priory, St. Ann were on the streets peddling any type of ware they could place their hands on.

From the pan chicken man to the watering-hole operator, 'Priorians' wholeheartedly embraced their new found gold mine - bmobile Reggae Sunsplash 2006, which was staged at the Richmond Estate two minutes from their doorways.

Night three of the event, dubbed 'The Greatest Reggae Festival on Earth', saw long lines of traffic getting into the show, fewer patrons than the organisers had expected and a lack of vibes in the overly massive venue. This was mixed with a lot of disorganisation and apparent rust by some of the key players.

However, the rebirth also showed that the event has tremendous potential of living up to the legacy it nurtured for the past nine years.

Over the four nights that the festival was staged, the organisers showcased an exceptional venue, while much too large to offer the intimacy necessary at this time, a fantastic production and technical prowess, coupled with outstanding performances by Grammy recording artiste Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley', Trinidad's Machel Montano, Boom Bye Bye's Buju Banton and the unassuming Mr. Vegas who has come of age, having ended the 'haul and pull up' era of his life.

target market

Within five years, the festival should get its target market of 65,000 patrons.

The organisers have also introduced an amphitheatre, which is a brilliant idea. This area is reserved for smaller acts such as Voicemail, Yvad, KipRich and Lexxus. With the ocean as a backdrop and being currently the only place in the venue for any type of intimacy, artistes on performing in the amphitheatre should throw out any inkling of inferiority.

Sunsplash 2006 was a press rehearsal, as The Gleaner's entertainment writer would say, in the sense that the information the media disseminates now, will determine the event's success or failure by 2008.