The competitiveness of the upcoming Negril party weekend has intensified severely. Now, the Rum-Bar Rum Tropical Island (R.T.I.) weekend is added to the mix of events that will invade the coastal town over the Independence weekend.

This new series to be held between August 3-6, boasts a line-up of six hugely popular events, Impy Skimpy, Pretty In Pink, Marco Polo, Rhythm and Booze, Chug It and Heatwave.

It also costs considerably less than other party weekends with its $7,500 season band price.

Marco Polo promoter Marvin Lawrence of Lawless Events told The STAR how the weekend was conceptualised and what it would bring to the table.

huge demand

"The initial initiative was by Marco Polo, meaning that we were bringing the event to Negril based on the huge demand from western Jamaica. A lot of people have been asking for it to be on a Negril party weekend so being a Rum-Bar Rum sponsored event we came together with people like Greg Christian (Heatwave promoter) and Andrew Ffrench (Chug It promoter) and decided that we're going to bring other events on and make it a viable venture," said Lawrence.

He went on to say that the R.T.I. weekend stands out from others because of the diversity and the quality of the events that it offers.

"It's the best events that you can find in Jamaica on any one armband and it's just one low cost for the best. We have top quality events for a price that patrons from Jamaica and overseas will enjoy," he said.

Christian added: "We're providing entertainment at an affordable cost in a recessionary period."

Lawrence thanks the Jamaica Constabulary Force for being accommodative in ensuring the party weekend is staged.

He also shared that Pretty In Pink has been a popular event in Negril for about nine years and Marco Polo is being requested by many.

With the exception of Impy Skimpy and Heatwave, all the events are all-inclusive. The Portmore-born staple Chug It, keeps its traditional 'drink all you can for a gran' format. Heatwave he said, will see some of Jamaica's top entertainers like Ninja Man, Konshens and Khago thrilling the audience.

"It's pretty simple. It doesn't have to be that expensive! It really doesn't. The weekend applies to persons who understand that you don't have to break your pocket to attend a party weekend. Around that time it's in the general back-to-school period and everybody is thinking about those expenses. So we say to them, come and spend $7,500 and have a blast," said Lawrence.