International F.U.N. Fete 2013: Skinny Fabulous, Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy & Peter Ram in Brooklyn
International F.U.N. Fete — August 17, 2013 at Tiki Cultural Center in Brooklyn.
On Saturday, August 17, 2013, Brooklyn’s Tiki Cultural Center became the setting for a Caribbean party whose name made a pretty big promise:
F.U.N. — Fckin Unbelievable Night.
International F.U.N. Fete brought together artists from across the Caribbean for an extended night of Soca, live performances, DJs, rhythm and nonstop entertainment at 5811 Ralph Avenue at Preston Court in Brooklyn.
Doors opened at 6 PM, and the event was promoted as 10 full hours of non-stop entertainment.
At the center of the lineup were Skinny Fabulous, Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy and Peter Ram, backed by a much larger cast of performers and DJs that turned F.U.N. Fete into more than a standard four-artist concert.
Skinny Fabulous Arrives as the 2013 Vincy Soca Monarch
The timing made Skinny Fabulous’ appearance especially interesting.
Only weeks before F.U.N. Fete, Gamal “Skinny Fabulous” Doyle had won the 2013 Vincy Soca Monarch title with “The General.” He also captured the 2013 St. Vincent Road March title with the same song.
The event flyer proudly billed him as the “2013 Vincy Monarch,” meaning Brooklyn was getting Skinny during one of the strongest periods of his career.
By August, “The General” had already conquered Vincy Mas.
Now the General was headed to Brooklyn.
An International Soca Lineup
Skinny Fabulous was only part of the night.
Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy and Peter Ram gave the headlining lineup a strong mix of Trinidad, St. Vincent and Barbados, while the wider bill added even more voices to the stage.
The promotional artwork also listed live performances by Pupa Leendi, Yankee Boy, Young Voice, Jason Benn & Babyface, Ronnie Homer and Tamisha.
Vibesman Redman served as event host, while Dem Boyz and Dem supplied the rhythm section.
That combination gave F.U.N. Fete the feel of a Caribbean showcase rather than a single-headliner concert.
Ten Hours of Music
The artists were only part of the program.
Music was advertised from Trini Boom, Young Maddy, MSZ Trini, Spoil Brattz, Press Play Boyz, X Rated, Selector Supa-T, Boom Champions, DJ Titan VCD from Trinidad and DJ Norie from Power 105FM.
With live artists, DJs and a rhythm section all sharing the bill, the event’s promise of ten hours of entertainment made considerably more sense.
This was designed to keep moving.
A performance could give way to a DJ set, the DJs could hand the energy back to another artist, and the crowd could remain inside the experience throughout the night.
General Admission or the Full VIP Experience
F.U.N. Fete also offered two noticeably different ways to experience the event.
Early-bird general admission was advertised at $25.
The $100 VIP package included a private area, a bar with premium drinks, express entry and free food.
That VIP setup gave the event another layer beyond the live Soca lineup. Patrons could choose between simply being inside the fete or paying for a more inclusive experience with its own dedicated space and amenities.
The artwork made that distinction part of the promotion rather than an afterthought.
Tiki Cultural Center
The venue was promoted on the flyer as Tiki Cultural Center, located at 5811 Ralph Avenue at Preston Court in Brooklyn.
The location had already been used for Caribbean community events and all-inclusive fetes in the years leading up to F.U.N. Fete. Contemporary coverage from 2011 referred to the venue as Tiki Village Cultural Center at the same 5811 Ralph Avenue address.
That made it a natural setting for a lineup built around Caribbean artists, DJs and a long-form fete experience.
Watch International F.U.N. Fete 2013
Julianspromos captured the night in a full highlights production featuring performances and moments from across the event.
The full F.U.N. Fete highlights were uploaded on August 21, 2013, four days after the event.
The video brings together the stage performances, crowd and overall atmosphere that surrounded the night.
Peter Ram at F.U.N. Fete
Barbadian Soca artist Peter Ram also sat down for a separate Julianspromos interview during the event.
The interview adds another dimension to the F.U.N. Fete coverage, moving away from the stage for a direct moment with one of the night's featured Caribbean artists.
International F.U.N. Fete in Photos
The event was also preserved through a dedicated photo gallery.
Alongside the videos, the photographs capture another side of the night: the artists, patrons, fashion, stage and atmosphere inside Tiki Cultural Center.
From the Julianspromos Archives
International F.U.N. Fete arrived during a packed period for Caribbean entertainment in New York.
What makes the August 2013 event stand out is the range packed into one night.
A newly crowned Vincy Soca Monarch shared the bill with major Trinidadian and Barbadian artists. A long roster of DJs kept the music moving between performances. Dem Boyz and Dem added live rhythm. General admission brought patrons into the fete, while VIP offered a separate premium experience.
Julianspromos captured both sides of that night through the full event highlights and the separate Peter Ram interview.
More than a decade later, the footage and photographs still show exactly what the name promised:
one very big Caribbean F.U.N. night in Brooklyn.
