A+ for Lost in Time Festival

After a three-year hiatus from performing in Jamaica, Protoje returned to the local stage with a dozen of his closest friends and collaborators for the inaugural staging of the Lost in Time Festival.

Named after the European tour he embarked on last year, the festival was staged at the Hope Gardens in St Andrew. While there is no argument that the main draw to the event were the performances, the festival also boasted a long list of vendors offering, food, apparel, cannabis and other merchandise. Truly cementing what seemed like an intentional push for exercise, after each performance patrons were required to walk from the main stage to the New Wave stage on the opposite end of the venue for the first half of the evening. With each performance alternating between the two stages, hosted by Brush1 Chromatic and Ashley Miller, respectively, this ensured that fans would see all Lost in Time had to offer.

The line-up included King Digg [Protoje] himself alongside, Lila Ike, Yaadcore, Naomi Cowan, Tessellated, Mortimer, Samory I and Jesse Royal. But that was by no means the extent of the artistes who graced the stage. In a series of surprise performances, the crowd was also greeted by the likes of Sevana, Chi Ching Ching, and Stephen Marley.

Blurring the lines between reggae and dancehall, once Chronixx entered the chat, the show devolved into one big jam session between himself, Protoje, Popcaan, Jesse Royal and Aidonia that left the audience feeling as though they had been given a sneak peak into what studio sessions with the group feels like.

Though a pleasant surprise, the announced artistes needed no help making sure the crowd got their money's worth. Lila Ike herself, who renamed herself 'World Ike' on stage, and gave an extensive set from her The Experience EP. With three outfit changes, one cup of tea for her sore throat and a seemingly endless amount of energy, fans called her the night's showstopper.

While fans across social media have dubbed the night a worthy experience, it was not without its challenges. On at least seven occasions, the show had to be stopped as medics attended to patrons who fainted.

Regardless, there were calls for the Lost In Time Festival to become a yearly occurrence.