Digicel, Appleton Carnival Pon Di Road kicks off

Over the next five weeks, Jamaica's carnival season will be thrown into high gear as Appleton Special and Digicel move across the island with their second instalment of the Carnival pon di Road series.

Making its first stop in St Thomas tonight, the series of carnival fetes will cover four other stops: Mandeville, Montego Bay, Browns Town and Kingston every Friday.

With an exotic jungle theme for this year's fItes, revellers will enjoy the jungle experience with booths set up by popular paint artists Eon and Robby, who will use their spray-painting prowess to transform party animals into colourful jungle animals.

Tamika West, marketing manager, Dark Spirits at J Wray & Nephew Limited, cited the brand's excitement for this year's staging of the series: "Appleton Special is excited to once again partner with Digicel to bring this unique Carnival experience to our consumers, especially those outside of Kingston. The series was a huge success last year, and we look forward to its continued growth. Carnival is a big part of our culture, and we are taking it 'Pon di Road', and across the island, making it a special experience for soca lovers at its first stop in St Thomas. Rum rules every social space and we invite revellers to come out and enjoy the high spirits in vivid colour as we take them through the jungle, the Special way."

Revellers for the upcoming parties will be in for a treat as Appleton Special plans to 'fog up the place' with an authentic powder party with pulsating soca and dancehall mixes.

The 'Party Animal' Kurt Riley and the 'Wild Child' ZJ Sparks take centre stage to bring the music and the vibe to make it a full Carnival experience. The DJs, however, will not be the only entertainment for the events, as the vivacious 'Fluffy Diva' Miss Kitty will join them in entertaining the crowd.

VIBEANDENERGY

The vibe and energy will be up all night, with mini-road marches making their way through each stop, led by party-goers clad in jungle attire. Attendees will also be able to capture their jungle experience at the instant photo booth.

"There is no doubt that Carnival has become a huge part of Jamaica's culture so we feel that every Jamaican, no matter where they are, should get the opportunity to come enjoy themselves and be part of it," said Tari Lovell, sponsorship manager at Digicel.

"Last year was nothing short of amazing and this year is going to be even more exciting, so we're inviting everyone to come out and fIte with us once we're in their town."

Digicel and Appleton Special Carnival pon di Road will stop in five parishes each week: St Thomas (Friday, March 4); Mandeville Bus Park, Manchester (Friday, March 11); Old Hospital, Bottom Road, Montego Bay, St James (Friday, March 18); Browns Town Square, St Ann (Thursday, March 24); and Kingston (Friday, April 1).

All events are from 5 p.m. to midnight and free for persons 18 and over. Revellers can take advantage of exclusive special product bundle deals, which include purchasing two 200ML of Appleton Special for only J$1000 and receiving J$100 Digicel credit free.