Even when the calendar moves faster than our coverage, some moments demand reflection. We still thought it would be worthwhile to discuss two events that produced two performance debuts this month at major events- Best Brunch Ever (BBE) and One Nation Concert.
BBE
Best Brunch Ever, popularly known as BBE kicked off the year, taking place on January 1st. Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the event was held at the Coolidge Cricket Grounds and started at noon (originally set to start at 11 a.m.) and continued into the evening. This event was also food inclusive with a range of options from starters like soups, to mains like shrimp pasta (one of our favourites) and desserts.
Best Brunch Ever had a good combination of entertainment featuring deejays who had the crowd moving. DJ Jime, who is also the event’s promoter, took to the stage himself and had the crowd riled up. Before artists hit the stage, the clever mixing of dancehall and soca music probably had people already satisfied.
But Tian Winter, who is a staple at almost any major Antiguan party, still managed to up the ante, delivering a set with pure energy. Might we add, his performance of Antigua Mas was more convincing than his performance at the 2025 Party Monarch competition.
Then D’Yani, the Jamaican reggae/ dancehall sensation made his entrance after a bit of a delay. It was lovely to see he was draped in the Antiguan flag, as this was his first time performing on the island. While his set was surprisingly short as a featured artist, it worked, because while there were some reactions when he sang his more popular tunes like “Live a Likkle” and “Feelings”, many people were just standing and looking on for most of it which was a sharp contrast to the crowd response to Tian and the previous deejays. But make no mistake about it, my boy voice ah run pan clean- if you aren’t Antiguan, that just means, his vocals delivered. He sounded just as good or maybe even better live than on his recordings.
Overall, BBE was a great event and a wonderful way to start the New Year. We’d recommend adding it to your event calendar for 2027.
One Nation Caribbean Music Festival
This government- funded event took place over the stretch of two days on January 10th and 11th at the Antigua Recreation Grounds. On night 1, dancehall and soca music was featured and night 2 was a gospel celebration.
Unfortunately, at this time, our contributors are all heathens so we don’t have the 411 on what happened on night 2.
Night 1 was jampacked with artists- local acts like Burning flames, reggae icon- Capleton, and Jamaican singer Christopher Martin- who delivered a strong performance as his vocals usually allow. Gramps Morgan was also present and his son, Priel Morgan, wooed the crowd with his acoustic rendition. Dancehall artist Mr. Vegas (we’ll talk more about him) and Masicka, who is arguably one of the most prominent dancehall artists right now also performed. However, Masicka’s performance lacked the overall consistency it needed and may have lost some of the crowd’s interest.
But someone who was sure to capture attention, whether for better or worse, was Gassy Dread, the self- described alter ego of Antigua & Barbuda’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne. He appeared on stage alongside Mr. Vegas who is the singer of “I am Blessed”, a song long affiliated with the PM, after he used it as his “theme music” at a political rally. In this video captured by Hensley Isaac, you can see Gassy Dread enter the stage at the 33:38 time stamp.
The One Nation Concert was definitely entertaining, despite some initially doubting the relevance of some of the artists who don’t have recent, popular songs on the lineup. The performances were engaging, the stage design was good, and that lil surprise performance helped to make the night memorable.
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