AN OASIS IT WAS

Although I haven't fully recovered from Trinidad Carnival 2025 and Tobago...... I went to Oasis last night.

In the words of one of one of my encouragers (you know who you are), I was feting for a cause.

Truth moment: Out of the 15 Oasis fetes, this was my first one.  I am not too sure how I've never made it to an Oasis fete but I haven't made it prior to yesterday.  While I was in Trinidad, the hubby decided that that is where he would celebrate/bring in his birthday. How could I say no? My energy wasn't fully restored earlier in the week but the closer we got to Saturday, the better I felt.

We got to the venue around  7/7:15. 

Upon entering, a shot of Rum Punch was given to us. I drank it (because that was more than a shot), but I didn't really taste it.  I think that after all the Punchy Punch I was drinking in Trinidad, I destroyed my tastebuds. 

Walking in you could see that it was light.  Yeah, it was very light. By the time I surveyed where the bathroom was, found encourager #1, put ice in my cup and filled it with my drink of choice, the place was packed. Where all dem people come from I don't know but I was grateful that we had no line to stand on, drove straight into a park and were able to pick where we actually WANTED to lime for the duration of the fete.

The OASIS fete was a good one. A DAMN good fete.  It was rehl nice an all eh BUT I had time yesterday... I had two complaints yesterday.

1. The 'jerk chicken' was  very bad. The sauce to go ON the chicken was worse. I am all about my belly but I will leave that there. It was all for a good cause.  
2. The REAL complaint. Now I'm not one to sit in a fete and keep track of who played this and that because 1, who has time for that and 2, once the liquor is liquoring WHO CARES! But as I said, yesterday, I had time. I pulled out my phone and literally jot down in a WhatsApp note to myself the list of songs played as soon as a particular DJ got on the set. Let me set the mood. Of the following, the majority of these songs were already played by the DJ or DJ's prior eh. So after you hype up yuhself in the dance, yuh come wid:

• 1. No Sweetness
• 2. Greatest Benovah 
• 3. Machel telling The Truth bout wanting 2 
• 4. Good Spirits
• 5. Eskimo 
• 6. No Sweetness 
• 7. Sweet ass KES talkin bout he Coco Tea
• 8. Home
• 9. Piece Ah Wine
• 10. Teja nevah again

• Then it was back to old soca.

• 11. The Iron Have Me So Bazodee
• 12. Lauren as he sang through the entire song

• Then it was back to 2024 soca.

• 13. Runaway by Teja 
• 14. Voice Drunk In The People Place

• These DJ's HAVE to do better jedd

• 16. Energy Killer
• 17. Market
• 18. Nadia felt like wining 
• 19. Holiday

At this point, I was over it. 

This isn't an OASIS thing but a DJ thing. Out of the 8,254,759,360 combined songs it have out there for 2024 and 2025 is the same songs allyuh DJ's insist on playing? Your audience is tired of the same thing over and over! We will stop show up! We will stop come to allyuh dance! We will keep we money in we pocket once we hear is you playing a set over and over and over and over again!! Throughout the event, I wore my glasses so I was able to effectively read the lips of people I wasn't with and they too were complaining (right before we started dancing) about the same thing that I am complaining about.  Pretty soon, ALL of these fetes/boatrides will buss because what's the point in coming outside if it's the same set of songs being played ALL THE TIME?! Some don't even bother mixing it up a little bit. Like damn.

Listen, I am no DJ but what I am is a patron. I am only a patron because I chose to patronize. Once John Public starts thinking like me, allyuh will be out of jobs because for what you guys are willingly doing, it have those of us who can just buss a lime in our own homes and buy bottles for way less!

Back to OASIS, would I ever return? Absolutely! The vibes were right. The crowd was mature. The event had a lot of people but we had good breeze and enough space to get around smoothly.  The drinks were to my liking (via cooler) and there was a choice to purchase your drinks and food.

I'd give OASIS two thumbs up!

I am also not sure if this event is done annually or semi annually but I plan on going again in 2026!