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There comes a time in life when you just need to get away. As an educator, I can attest that the end of June couldn’t come soon enough. There was a super long stretch of work with zero days off after Memorial weekend and I needed something to take the edge off ASAP. Hookie Weekend was that something!

Prior to the weekend, all I knew about Hookie was that it took place on a Friday in D.C. and required most working individuals to take a PTO day or call out sick in order to attend. I purchased my Hookie ticket months in advance and patiently waited for the weekend to arrive. Eagerness built up in the chats all across What’s App. Everyone was beyond ready for the post-Jamaica reunion. So what exactly took place you ask?

THURSDAY NIGHT – RELEASE THERAPY  

After a 3 hour drive from Jersey on Thursday evening, the homies and I freshened up in the car and strutted straight into the oh-so-free Release Therapy. As soon as we walked in, familiar faces were floating all around us. The indoor/outdoor venue was perfect for separating the “minglers” from the partyers. I stepped inside a few times to jam to my favorite tunes but my spirit just wasn’t ready for full blown feting. I stayed outside for most of the night chatting it up with new and old fete friends. Release Therapy was, for lack of a better phrase, the perfect meet and greet. It was a great way to warm things up before the wotlessness.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON – THE TRUNK LIME

Yes, you read correctly, I said “Trunk Lime” or also known as the Parking Lot Lime. Let me tell you, people were planning for this thing like it was Thanksgiving Dinner. Collections were taken up for group meals and responsibilities were delegated. My crew opted for a simpler approach on the way to Hookie which consisted of copping a bucket of Popeye’s Chicken, a box of biscuits and an order of fries. Oh and a fresh bottle of Johnnie with a couple chasers.

We found our way to RFK stadium, made an illegal reverse into the parking lot (that’s another story) and it was vibes from then.  I parked across from my MOA babies and we were “Liming…bottles poppin’ and girls around, girls around ayeeeee. We drinking!” The Trunk Lime was everything! Jokes for days. Free wines and SokaTribe Tattoos. Highly spiked gummies and other tasty items that shall never be mentioned. Once bellies were full and liver’s were compromised we headed inside.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON – HOOKIE

If I’m not mistaken, I’d say we headed inside close to 3:00PM. A few steps away from the parking lot was a vibe-filled event with many familiar faces. Most of the Tri-State feters were up in Hookie. There were also a sprinkle of bacchanalists from Atlanta, Miami and Boston. The stadium space was well planned. They filled most of the area with sand which amplified the pool-party feel. To add additional levels of awesomeness they lined the back of the area with three humongous pools with slides attached. There was a large covered area for those who needed shade and protection from the random raindrops that decided to fall throughout the party. All-in-all, I’d say they did a bangin job with the layout. The party wasn’t overly crowded but everyone came to fete which was most important. I think the party ended around 8:30PM after Skinny Fabulous (my boo-thang) performed. Barrie Hype tried his hardest to extend the vibes a little more but the venue staff weren’t having it. Oh well. We came…we saw…we conquered de fete!

SATURDAY – CHILL VIBES

After a whole afternoon of feting my girls and I were not interested in doing anything heavy on Saturday. While majority of the bacchanalists participated in Lions Pride Jouvert we were sleeping in. When jouvert was over most of my people played the day by ear after getting much needed rest. The crew and I spent our afternoon recapping the events at Hookie, getting tasty bites from P.F. Chang’s and copping some homemade Ice Cream from a nearby parlor. Once we filled our bellies we headed on over to Maryland for a pop up fete called Soca Loca. DJ Fyah Oats and Barrie Hype were in the building mashing up the scene with some quality throwback tunes that made me think about the good ole days. When last you heard “Suga boy, Suga boy…don’t play with my head”…LAWD! The rooftop setting was SWEEEET but it needed a better crowd for sure. Trust me, I did my best to keep the dance floor warm in spite of the low vibes. We left Soca Loca around 8PM then headed to a private lime that was simply EPIC! Shout out to C.U.G!

SUNDAY – RIDDIM & ROAD

Riddim and Road is the latest and greatest idea from the Hookie Life team. The concept was simple…wear whatever you want and jam behind de truck. This was all for the low – low price of $50US which included 5 alcoholic beverages. It may not sound like much; but, word on the street is that the bartenders were making those drinks hella strong lol. Unfortunately, I was getting on the road to Jersey straight from R&R so I only drank water the entire day (womp-womp). The Riddim and Road crowd may have been on the light side, but it was pure pace from the time we touch de road. Did I mention that they held it on an actual race track?! Yes! Aside from the slope, the venue was an excellent place for a carnival-like event. All the DJ’s were on point; however, I have to send an extra special shout out to Close Connections;  they murdered their session and left a memorable impression. Yes people, they don’t just make bangin’ mix tapes….their live performance is equally on point. I left R&R around 5:30PM and the bacchanalists were still going strong. It was hard for me to pull away (Le sigh).

 So, I’ve given you the whole run-down. Shamair (that’s me) will definitely be back at Hookie next year (IF I don’t get chained up for Hollywood Carnival again). If you found yourself at home during Hookie Weekend twiddling your thumbs and wondering if it was truly worth the time and money….I’m just going to write this one time….Haul yuh tail to Hookie 2018. That is all.   

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~ Sha