Culture takes centre stage at New Wave Block Party Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The ‘Block Party’ is back.

Coming off of a two-year hiatus, New Wave has been slowly but surely rebuilding momentum with a series of one-off pop-up events throughout this year, but Sunday marked the return of the brand’s flagship event, ‘Block Party’, in collaboration with Di Lot.

Executed as a mini festival of art, food, music, and good energy, the event celebrated these cultural pillars of Jamaica, all in one space.

“It was such a joy to finally be able to bring Block Party back! After two long years of restrictions and pent-up energy and creativity, it really was such a moment of gratitude to finally be able to bring this experience back and to curate a space for our creative and cultural communities that can really bring us all together,” shared Lindsey Lodenquai, director of New Wave Jamaica.

The return of the event saw Di Lot transformed into a 360-degree experience for the festival. DJs Brush 1 the Road Marshal, Bloodline Franco, Heatwave Fatalic, Laing D, Fyahmatic, and Circa Fatman kept the crowd moving all night, with a surprise appearance from popular dancehall dancer Energy and the Get There Squad that got the crowd moving in unison to the latest dances.

The night also featured vendors Bumble Beauty, Rachael Lane and Braata Box with their Jamaican-made products on display for patrons to browse and purchase.

The experience was topped off by a stellar exhibition from local visual artist Joshua Solas (also known as Solas Ink).

The featured works were an “exploration of language, specifically Jamaican language, diving into the roles that both words and imagery play in depicting and tapping into emotion,” Solas explained.He also had prints for sale, and live screen-printing being done of his very own limited edition T-shirt designs.

“Di Lot was really an ideal venue for the return of Block Party. The concept of Block Party is really rooted in combining several different experiences cohesively into one space, all celebrating some special aspect of our vibrant culture,” Lodenquai continued. “We’re really just always so grateful and blown away by the support that our ever-growing New Wave community has for everything we do, and that’s a big part of what pushes us to continue to think bigger.”

According to Craig Phang Sang, owner of Di Lot, his team felt that collaborating on the event was a perfect synergy.

“The energy, the vibe, the people — New Wave brings the ideal audience and experience to our space and it’s a joy to be part of an event where people can come and really enjoy themselves while celebrating our culture and what makes us unique, the Di Lot ower said.

Next up on the New Wave schedule is the fifth staging of Celebrity Closet, the brand’s annual charity thrift shop to be held at the Mini Jamaica Showroom on Lady Musgrave Road. Another mainstay of this event is the charity aspect, where part proceeds from the event are donated to a charity focused on the upliftment of Jamaica’s cultural and creative industries. This year’s proceeds will go towards the Alpha Institute.

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