by Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

After much encouragement, the partons finally take the dance floor at the opening party, 'Pirates and Wenches', of the Port Royal Music Festival held at Morgan's Harbour Hotel and Marina, Port Royal, on Friday. - Winston Sill

The celebrity party, dubbed 'Pirates and Wenches' which marked the start of the three-day Port Royal Music Festival (September 7-9) at the Morgan Harbour Hotel and Marina, might not have been supported as much as promoters would have liked. But one thing was certain, those who came out had a grand time partying with the 'Pirates and Wenches'.

The setting against the backdrop of the harbour was already enough to authenticate the 'Pirates and Wenches' theme, but the icing was put on the cake when patrons were greeted by actual men and women who dressed the part.

Moving through the venue and around to the VIP area, patrons could be seen hanging out by the bar, some liming, while others attended to their finger-licking urges. Maybe it was not yet time to take to the dance floor, or it was more fun waiting around to get a glimpse of the 'stars'.

Greeted fans

Yes, international R&B singer Brian McKnight was in the VIP area for a short while, as he met and greeted fans who clamoured to catch a picture with him, before he was whisked away by his chaperones.

Up until 1 a.m., however, the crowd was still sparse, but the selectors still managed to stir up the vibes, as patrons partied to musical selections from the '80s and '90s.

Bounty Killer and Richie Stephens had some females acting like a Maniac on the dance floor, while some quickly awoke to the 'Juicy' sounds of the Notorious BIG and danced to Machel Montano and Allison Hinds' remix of Roll It Gal.

The Renaissance Disco managed to maintain the vibes, even after calls of, "everybody come this way, it's all about the dance floor" might have appeared to have fallen on deaf ears. Not to worry though, because after all the fanfare of posing and taking pictures with the celebrities like Brian McKnight, One Third and some beauty queens, it was inevitable that the attention would turn towards the dance area before the night was out.

Renaissance selectors turned up the vibes a few notches as patrons were more encouraged to Step Out on the dance floor and do the Willie Bounce.

At minutes to three in the morning, almost everybody must have been on the dance floor, but still, the bad behaviour was kept at a minimal, as the elegant attire and stilettos ensured that some patrons stayed in line.