Pure niceness as Sumfest goes to the beach

A mixture of locals and foreigners descended on the Aquasol Theme Park in Montego Bay, St James, to get a slice of Sumfest 2016 as the 'Greatest Reggae Show on Earth' kicked off with a beach party on Sunday.

Partygoers, numbered in the hundreds, flocked to the venue from early in the afternoon, and the crowd grew more expansive as the evening progressed.

Their numbers, however, did little to intimidate the hosts of disc jocks and selectors who were up to the challenge of satisfying their musical appetites.

ZJ Sparks got the patrons raving with some songs from the '90s before Ikel Marvelus and Flabba Dabba mixed it up with old school reggae.

Bambino took the crowd to carnival with soca, while Chromatic and DJ Crazy Neil carried them all over the world until the morning.

Music, however, took a backseat with Yanique 'Curvy Diva' Barrett and Miss Kitty, the 'Fluffy Diva', taking centre stage during separate periods of the night.

The two divas certainly held the attention of fans throughout the night and got them involved in the various acts.

"It was awesome, the music was great, everyone was having a fun time," said one New Yorker, Elaina Wood.

Robert Russell, deputy chairman of Summerfest Productions, was excited about the turnout. He said the event was "one of the best opening nights we have ever had".

"The vibe is unbelievable. Everybody is having a fantastic time and it is just a great start for Sumfest 2016," he said.