The Star (Jamaica)

Portmore Music Fest eyes internatio­nal standards

- STEPHANIE LYEW STAR Writer

Despite being only a few years old, Portmore Music Fest (PMF) has risen at such a rate that it is impossible to ignore.

Its entertainm­ent line-ups over the past three years have included up-and-coming talents and an equal list of headline names, including Beenie Man, Wayne Wonder, Bounty Killer and Queen Ifrica.

Now, its organisers are taking a step further to transform the one-night event into a festival boasting two nights of activities.

“We can officially call ourselves a festival that promises the people two nights of great musical experience­s coupled with sound systems, fashion, food, and live performanc­es,” said Steve Billings, director of the event.

The festival, which is executed during the busy Christmas period, is scheduled for Friday, December 28, and Saturday, December 29, at the UDC car park in Portmore.

When THE WEEKEND STAR asked Billings if he saw PMF growing beyond two nights in the next five years, he said, “PMF is platformed to meet internatio­nal standards of festivals with outstandin­g showcases, and we are ideally looking to export the festival to get more internatio­nal patrons throughout the next three to five years not going beyond its current offering.”

Night one features the Ultimate Sound System Sound Off – not to be confused with a sound clash, which he says “would eliminate the value of the offering” – and is followed by a fashion show, dance exhibition­s, and a live show on night two.

The organisers are determined to challenge events being held in Kingston during the Christmas period and to focus on entertainm­ent developing within Portmore.

Some of the entertaine­rs coming out of Portmore who have performed in previous years are Maestro Don, Clymaxx, I-Octane and I-Wayne, but the list of names for this year’s Portmore-based talents has not yet been released.

This year, the patrons will be entertaine­d by a mix of artistes, including Spragga Benz, Baby Cham and Bushman, among others, backed by popular bands Ruff Kutt and Tower, as well as sound systems Swatch Internatio­nal, Cosmic Movements, Yumi Hi-Power, and Sound Trooper.

The festival maintains its charity focus, with the Portmore SelfHelp Disability Organizati­on being this year’s beneficiar­y.

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 ??  ?? Spragga Benz will be among the stars at Portmore Music Fest 2018.
Spragga Benz will be among the stars at Portmore Music Fest 2018.

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