The weekends around Emancipation Day (August 1, 1838) and Independence Day (August 6, 1962) are filled with parties in Negril as Absolute Temptation Isle (www.atiweekend.com) and competing event Appleton Treasure Island (contact Appleton's Kingston office, tel. 876/923-6141, appleton@infochan.com) try to outdo each other by throwing the hottest and most frequent parties. Big-time promoters from Kingston and Miami draw Jamaica's party youth from across the globe, who arrive to indulge in booze, ganja, general debauchery, and a few stage shows. ATI Weekend is well worthwhile as a more genuinely Jamaican party scene and it's the only time of year when Negril is decidedly taken over by Jamaicans, making spring break look like child's play.
