by Sanaa Elcock
At the National Botanical Gardens, hundreds of patrons attending the Rum Punch: Spirits Of Bacchanal event agreed on one thing: long live soca. The rain did not dampen the vibes as drinks flowed and the energy was high at this sold-out event, which was one of the events held to mark the end of the 2025 Crop Over season.
As the sun set, colourful lights and branded insulated cups greeted partygoers after the gates opened around 6 p.m.
With lively deejay sets and percussion band Izya Vibe setting the tone for the evening, partygoers enjoyed the various on-site amenities to complement the performances that were to follow.
From photo backdrops and food from local businesses such as the Bearded Hog to complimentary massages by Chakra Spa Barbados, attendees had the opportunity to relax before some of the biggest acts of the season took to the Rum Punch stage.
At about 8:45 p.m., Trinidadian comedian Gervail Sean Lemo, popularly known as JR Lee, made his debut on the Rum Punch stage as the host for the evening. His jokes about his time in Barbados kept the crowd entertained from beginning to end.
First to perform an engaging Bouyon set was Dominican artiste Ridge, who had the crowd moving to his catalogue of songs, including FYM and She Want That Ah. Ridge also surprised the audience by bringing out fellow Dominican artiste Dirty Dawg Pudaz and the two had the crowd jumping to their hit song B.D.Y.M.M.
Ridge’s set was followed by a plethora of local artistes who have been booked and busy throughout the season.
Shaquille Gfg, this year’s People’s Monarch, had the audience going for gold with his performance as he sang popular songs such as Collateral and Asphalt.
Mole De Chief and Brucelee Almightee came next and had the audience sounding like a bashment choir, singing their songs word for word – Peep Back, Ms Hard To Get, Toxic, Mauby, Birds and Tomorrow.
Grateful Co matched the energy of his local counterparts during his hit song I Like You (Two). The crowd erupted as he sang other hits such as Center, Livin’ Fast (In the Moment) and When Last (remix) with some singing every lyric.
The musical trip back to Barbados continued as Lead Pipe & Saddis launched into My X, Ah Feeling, Sometime, BYE x2, Brain Freeze and Magnet. The pair took the audience back to their Porgie & Murda days with Ben Up. As the pair closed out their performance with the 2025 Tune Of De Crop song Tek Charge, JR Lee put on his “darkers” to smoothly transition into Jordan English’s performance.
With hit songs such as Drinking Liquor, Brandy & Ice, Bad B, and a surprise guest performance by Boar for One Eyeball, the crowd was ready for the road with his performance, which was only elevated when Lil Rick closed out the local performances.
The Hypadawg continued the energy with Bam Bam, Blessing and Can’t Wait. He also treated the Rum Punch crowd to a special remix of his song Call 911, as he told an engaging story about how he almost missed his performance due to an unforgiving security guard at the entrance.
As Lil Rick completed his set, only one performance remained, and as soon as the band played the opening notes to Too Own Way, the crowd was electric as Voice made his entrance at 11 p.m.
Everyone was a winner in the crowd as the Trinidadian artiste performed his biggest songs, including Alive And Well, Dear Promoter, Cheers To Life and Higher. He stood on the speakers in front of the stage and had the audience fully engaged as he brought a fan on stage to perform Year For Love with him.
With a genre-blending set by Level Vibes, the audience soaked up the final moments of one of the last Crop Over events of the season with voices gone and smiles spread across their faces.
Sanaa Elcock is on an internship with The Nation Publishing Co. Ltd.
