Bacchanal at Six Flags 2012: Soca, Chutney & Dancehall at Great Adventure | Caribbean Summer Concert Series
On July 14, 2012, Caribbean music filled Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, as Bacchanal at Six Flags brought Soca, Chutney Soca and Dancehall into the middle of a summer day at the amusement park.
The event, part of the Six Flags Caribbean Summer Concert Series, brought together artists from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica for a bill that stretched across different generations and styles of Caribbean music.
Julianspromos was there capturing the action, including performances by Denise Belfon, Ravi B, KI, Ziggy Ranking and Spragga Benz, along with interviews hosted by Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson.
Bacchanal at Six Flags
The original flyer promoted the event as “Bacchanal @ Six Flags Great Adventure”, combining a Caribbean concert with a day at one of the Northeast’s biggest amusement parks.
It was billed as a Family Daycation, giving Caribbean families and music fans a chance to spend the day on the rides before turning their attention to the stage.
Original flyer for Bacchanal at Six Flags Great Adventure on July 14, 2012.
The advertised bill included Kerwin Du Bois, KI & JMC 3Veni, Benjai, Denise Belfon, Ravi B & Nisha B, Spragga Benz, Baron, Nadia Batson, Chucky, Ziggy Ranking and Nebula 868.
It was the kind of lineup that could move from traditional Soca to Chutney Soca and Dancehall without leaving the same stage.
Denise Belfon Brings the Soca Energy
Denise Belfon brought her unmistakable performance style to Six Flags.
Already established as one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most recognizable female Soca performers, Belfon was known for combining powerful vocals with movement, dance and the kind of crowd interaction built for Carnival.
Her appearance brought a dose of straight-ahead Soca energy to a concert that would move through several different Caribbean sounds during the day.
Ravi B Takes Chutney Soca to Six Flags
Ravi B represented another major part of Trinidad and Tobago’s musical landscape.
By 2012, Ravi and the Karma sound had helped push Chutney Soca to increasingly large Caribbean audiences, blending Indian-Caribbean musical traditions with the energy of modern Soca.
At Six Flags, Julianspromos captured both his performance and a conversation with Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson.
The interview gave viewers a chance to hear from Ravi away from the stage while still catching the atmosphere of the concert around him.
KI and JMC 3Veni
KI was another major Chutney Soca presence on the 2012 bill.
Performing during a period when a younger generation of artists was helping expand Chutney Soca’s reach, KI brought his own sound to the Six Flags crowd.
Julianspromos also caught up with him on camera, with Vivaa conducting the interview.
With Ravi B and KI appearing on the same event, Chutney Soca was not a side attraction — it was a major part of the day's Caribbean mix.
Ziggy Ranking Hits the Stage
Ziggy Ranking added another Trinidad and Tobago voice to the concert.
His appearance brought a different flavor of Soca to the Six Flags stage and helped keep the day moving between the various sounds represented on the bill.
he footage captures the kind of summer Caribbean concert atmosphere that made the Six Flags series unusual: amusement-park crowds, live Caribbean music and artists who would normally be seen in fetes, clubs or Carnival events performing in a completely different setting.
Spragga Benz Brings Dancehall Into Bacchanal
The musical direction shifted again with Spragga Benz.
The Jamaican Dancehall veteran brought another side of Caribbean music into an event already filled with Soca and Chutney Soca.
Julianspromos captured both Spragga's performance and an interview with Vivaa, bringing the Jamaican side of the lineup into the coverage as well.
His appearance helped make Bacchanal feel less like a genre-specific concert and more like a Caribbean gathering.
One Stage, Different Caribbean Sounds
That variety was one of the strengths of the day.
Denise Belfon represented the high-energy Soca tradition.
Ravi B and KI brought Chutney Soca.
Ziggy Ranking added another contemporary Trinidad and Tobago sound.
Spragga Benz brought Jamaican Dancehall into the mix.
The transitions between them reflected the way Caribbean audiences in New York and New Jersey actually experienced the music — different islands and genres often sharing the same party, the same radio mix and, on this day, the same Six Flags stage.
Vivaa at Six Flags
Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson led the interview side of Julianspromos’ coverage, speaking on camera with Ravi B, KI and Spragga Benz during the event.
Those conversations brought viewers away from the stage for a few minutes and gave the artists room to speak directly to the Julianspromos audience.
By this point in 2012, Vivaa had become a familiar face in Julianspromos’ concert and Carnival coverage, helping connect the performances with the personalities behind the music.
Back Where an Earlier Chapter Began
Six Flags already had a special place in Julianspromos history.
A year earlier, TEMPO Turns 6 at Six Flags Great Adventure on July 9, 2011 became Julianspromos’ first official media event.
Returning in 2012 meant coming back to the same amusement park with another Caribbean lineup, but with Julianspromos now building a much larger collection of performance footage and artist interviews.
For the audience, though, the attraction was simple: a summer day at Six Flags with Caribbean music blasting from the stage.
From the Julianspromos Archives
Bacchanal at Six Flags Great Adventure on July 14, 2012 brought Soca, Chutney Soca and Dancehall together in Jackson, New Jersey.
The surviving Julianspromos footage captures Denise Belfon, Ravi B, KI, Ziggy Ranking and Spragga Benz, with Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson interviewing Ravi B, KI and Spragga Benz.
Years later, the footage still feels like a snapshot of a particular Caribbean summer, rides in the background, artists on stage and several different sides of Caribbean music meeting in one place.
