St. Maarten Heineken Regatta confirms a talent-filled Friday schedule

Boardwalk Stage at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta © SMYC

The regatta schedule has slowly been rolled out over the past few weeks and the final details have now been determined. The programme on March 4th is the fullest it has ever been! Eight bands are scheduled to perform on the Friday night and the Boardwalk will be transformed into a music festival, showcasing some of the enormous talent that St. Maarten has to offer.

Local radio personality Gee Money will be the MC for the evening, and will certainly have his work cut out for him as he will have to navigate between four stages. Nestled in amongst the stages are a host of bars, restaurants and vendors, all ready to make the regatta experience unforgettable.

The stages will be spread out down the length of the Boardwalk in Philipsburg, starting in front of the Passangrahan and working all the way down to the new Walter Plantz Square. Festivities are slated to begin at 17:00 and will continue on until 01:30. A variety of bands have been booked and include Remo & Barbwire Band, X-plosion Band, Koolberry Jam, Impakt Band, Control Band, Mighty Dow & His Ebony Steel Orchestra and Shadowman. In addition there will be music sets performed by DJ Eagle, house DJ for the evening and winner of the 2015 Heineken Soggy Sounds DJ Championships.

Many of the bands slated to perform are no strangers to the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, and the idea of turning the Boardwalk event into a place to showcase the island's talented bands was well received. The evening will certainly fill the warm air with sounds from all sorts of music genres from Calypso to Reggae, Zouk to Soca and Steel Pan to Pop, assuring that everyone will enjoy an amazing regatta experience.

X-plosion Band is scheduled to perform on stage in front of the Passangrahan Hotel at 20:30. They are no strangers to the island music scene and have been performing since 1990. In addition to performing at the regatta they are often found at Carnival celebrations in St. Maarten and around the region. Their high energy sounds will get the crowd on their feet for sure.

Control Band will bring a Latin flair to the program when they take the stage in front of the Sint Rose Arcade at 21:30. They are one of the most popular bands on the island and will bring a mix of dance hits and Latin vibes to the stage and guarantee a good time. Dancing will most certainly be required.

Mighty Dow & his Ebony Steel Orchestra is another crowd favourite. Isidore York is widely regarded as a St. Maarten success story. His Steelpan music has been heard around the world, but his true passion remains in his homeland where he continues to train and teach young musicians the fine art of the Steelpan music. His performance at the regatta will take place at 19:00 at the Captain Hodge Warf and is a performance you don't want to miss.

Down at the Walter Plantz Square the night will be dominated by the illustrious Shadowman. Addison Richardson, who is better known as Shadowman, began seriously performing on stage in St. Maarten back in 2001 and has not stopped. His unique style will pull you close and have you moving all night long. Festivities at this stage will continue throughout the evening.

The remaining bands will be filling the stages at a variety of times, allowing the crowds to mingle back and forth, while enjoying different beats and sounds. For the entire schedule and times visit the regatta website www.heinekenregatta.com