Elevation Day Fete 2014: Kes Brings Soca to Washington, DC
By late November, most of the major North American Carnival weekends were already over.
Washington, DC still had one more Soca fete waiting.
On Saturday, November 22, 2014, Full Stop Entertainment presented Elevation: The Ultimate Day Party at Look Lounge in downtown Washington, DC, with live performances from Kes The Band and Yankey Boy.
The daytime fete ran from 3 PM to 9 PM, with food included, an open bar during the first hour and DJs keeping the party moving between the live performances.
For Julianspromos, Intrigue Lane hosted the coverage, while Julian C. Hackett filmed and edited the event.
One More Soca Fete Before Winter
Elevation arrived at the perfect time for anybody not quite ready to let the Caribbean party season go.
New York Carnival had passed.
Miami Carnival was already in the rearview mirror.
Thanksgiving was only days away.
But inside Look Lounge, Soca still had work to do.
The event was promoted as an inclusive day party, with $60 advance admission, food included and an open bar from 3 PM to 4 PM. Bottle service was also available, while guests were encouraged to bring a canned good to support the S.O.M.E. Organization.
And then there was the live lineup.
Kes The Band and Yankey Boy.
Kes Returns to Washington
Kes was already familiar territory for Julianspromos by the time Elevation came around.
Two years earlier, Julianspromos had made its first major Washington-area trip for Jammin’ in the Park 2012, where Rifa Madness interviewed both Kes The Band and Destra Garcia as part of Trinidad and Tobago’s 50th independence celebrations.
Now Kes was back in Washington — but in a completely different setting.
Instead of a large outdoor cultural festival, the band was inside Look Lounge for an intimate late-season Soca fete.
This time, Intrigue Lane was on the mic for Julianspromos.
Kes Takes Over Elevation
Kes gave Elevation the live-show element that separated it from an ordinary Saturday afternoon party.
The venue was smaller than the large Carnival stages the band was accustomed to, which brought the audience much closer to the performance.
There was no need to wait for another Carnival season.
For a few hours in Washington, the fete came directly to them.
Yankey Boy Joins the Party
Yankey Boy was also advertised for a live performance, giving Elevation another artist alongside Kes.
His appearance helped keep the event rooted in Soca while the DJs moved between performances and carried the party through the afternoon.
DJ Bimshire, DJ Majestic & Sounds4Life Keep It Moving
Elevation was still a fete first.
Music came from DJ Bimshire, DJ Majestic and Sounds4Life, representing Washington and New York and keeping the room moving before, between and after the live artists.
That combination — DJs, live Soca, food, drinks and a daytime setting — gave Elevation its own feel within the DMV Caribbean party calendar.
Watch Kes The Band at Elevation 2014
The Julianspromos video takes viewers inside Look Lounge for the 2014 edition, with Intrigue Lane hosting and Kes The Band live in Washington, DC.
Elevation 2014 Photo Gallery
Go back inside Look Lounge with photos from the afternoon, including Intrigue Lane, Kes The Band and moments from the 2014 Elevation experience.
Washington, DC Was Already Part of the Julianspromos Story
Elevation was not Julianspromos’ first trip into the Washington Caribbean scene.
The brand’s first major Washington-area assignment came in 2012 at Jammin’ in the Park, where Julianspromos covered the festival and Rifa Madness interviewed Destra Garcia and Kes The Band.
Two years later, Julianspromos returned to the DMV for Elevation, this time with Intrigue Lane hosting, Julian C. Hackett filming, and Kes The Band once again in front of the camera.
By then, Washington had become one of several cities where Julianspromos was documenting Soca and Caribbean events alongside New York, Miami, Toronto and other growing markets.
Kes became part of that Washington story more than once — from Jammin’ in the Park in 2012 to Elevation in 2014. The earlier Washington assignment is also documented on the current Julianspromos archive.
From the Julianspromos Archives
Elevation returned the following year, but the 2015 edition deserves its own story.
The venue moved from Washington, DC into Maryland, while the lineup changed completely.
Instead of Kes and Yankey Boy, Elevation: Pure Bacchanal 2015 brought together Destra Garcia, Shal Marshall and Skinny Fabulous at Cococabana in Hyattsville.
Intrigue Lane returned as the Julianspromos host, with Julian C. Hackett again filming and editing the coverage.
Read Next: Elevation 2015 — Destra, Shal Marshall & Skinny Fabulous Take Over the DMV
https://julianspromos.com/archives/elevation-2015-destra-dmv
Event Details
Event: Elevation — The Ultimate Day Party
Date: Saturday, November 22, 2014
Time: 3:00 PM–9:00 PM
Venue: Look Lounge
Address: 1909 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
Presented By: Full Stop Entertainment
Live Performances: Kes The Band & Yankey Boy
Music By: DJ Bimshire, DJ Majestic & Sounds4Life
Advance Admission: $60
Food: Included
Open Bar: 3:00 PM–4:00 PM
Bottle Service: Available
Age: 21+
Julianspromos Host: Intrigue Lane
Camera: Julian C. Hackett
Editor: Julian C. Hackett
