KINGSTON, Jamaica – Good Times – the party series – dates back to March 12, 1996 when a group of friends who had been partying since university days, decided to relive the good times.
“For that first party we hand-delivered the invitations,” Jerome Hamilton, one of the members of the Quorum, the organizers of Good Times, told the Observer in a recent interview.
First hosted at Countryside Club, the event outgrew its locale and moved to Mas Camp where it attracted an even larger audience. “What happened is that more and more young people started attending Good Times,” Hamilton explained.
After 12 successful years in Jamaica, the Quorum is now planning to take the Good Times series on an overseas trek. Hamilton pointed out, however, that both Cayman and New York have staged their own version of Good Times, independent of the Quorum.
Retro performers dance the night away at Good Times
Their first official Good Times outside the shores of Jamaica is planned for October of this year in South Florida.
“There is a concentration of Jamaicans in South Florida, and they are hungry for this kind of entertainment. This is definitely a good step in the growth of the event and it will be as authentic as possible,” Hamilton stated.
There will be real Jamaican food, bars with Jamaican liquor, screens showing old videos and of course the music of the 70s, 80s and 90s. “We have defined the music of Good Times as anything over eight years,” Jerome said.
On Saturday, fans of the event can look forward to the first Mas Camp staging of Good Times for this year and, as usual, there will be a lot of good times to celebrate.
