Tristan Harrigan
In a press conference held at the Anguilla Tourist Board Conference Room on Thursday, May 25th, Coordinators of the annual pre-Summer Festival gig, “Eyes Wide Shut”, O’leary Richardson and Tristan Harrigan, made known their plans to once again transform the playing field in Sandy Ground into a spectacular night/morning “Eyes Wide Shut” party. The Theme of this year’s party is “Tropikale Kingdom”.
One of the events prime sponsors is that Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB). Manager of Destinations Experience, Keri Rogers, expressed thanks to O’leary for bringing performers to the shores of Anguilla and making the annual event something to always look forward to:
“We are here with great excitement, she said, “to release the highly anticipated ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ lineup with Creative Entertainment, FLOW and the ATB. The ATB takes immense pride in being the title sponsor of this event. We recognize the profound impact that “Eyes Wide Shut” has upon our culture and on our tourism product. It is an event that draws locals, regional guests, and international visitors alike.”
“With every passing year, the Anguilla Summer Festival and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ have grown in popularity,” she said. “It is like a beacon of unforgettable experience which guests look forward to each year. This is an event that showcases some of our island’s best music talent and creativity.”
Speaking on behalf of FLOW, Customer Service Agent, Shakeema Carty, expressed how pleased FLOW was to be once again a prime sponsor for another year, noting in fact, that FLOW has been a sponsor since its “Eyes Wide Shut’ first started:
“We are pleased to be onboard as a sponsor of this annual event, and we thank O’leary for giving us the opportunity to be a sponsor. We have been sponsoring “Eyes Wide Shut” from its inception. Over the years, we have observed that the event has grown by leaps and bounds. FLOW is proud to be a part of it, and we wish O’leary and his team continued success.”
O’leary himself thanked the Anguilla Tourist Board and FLOW for their contributions each year.
He said “Eyes Wide Shut” was proud this year to have Heineken Beer as its beverage sponsor, and he mentioned that he was especially proud of its newest product, Heineken Silver. He thanked his Heineken partners in St. Martin for their unwavering contribution to the longevity of “Eyes Wide Shut”.
Both O’leary and his colleague, Tristan Harrigan, emphasised that this year the event will be highlighting the color pink which represents their passion and care for persons with cancer.
Tristan said: “The idea this year was to have our theme, “Tropikale Kingdom”, reflect the sharing of the experience with those who are suffering from cancer. We all have had some relative or friend who would have been affected by this disease, and this year we want to bring awareness to the awful condition. Therefore, this year we would like for our audience to wear something pink.”
O’leary and Tristan then unveiled the poster showing the lineup of artistes for this year. Features this year include overseas performers like: Nadia Batson, Patrice Roberts, Ricardo Drue, Terri Lyons, Barrie Hype, DJ Avalanche and Grand Masters. From the native scene features include: Latest XHD, Synergy, Pantha, Yama, Soddie, DJ Stylez, DJ Tights and DJ Jeanie.
O’leary and the “Eyes Wide Shut” team wishes to thank the full scope of their supporters including: The Anguilla Tourist Board; FLOW: Heineken; Amstel Bright; Altimar Luxury Villas; Olympus Chauffer Services; Calypso Charters; Anguilla Air and Sea Port Authority; Ethne Cuisine; Moke Anguilla; Creative Clothing; Anguilla Summer Festval and Jerry’s Taxi.
