Chewstick’s annual Beachfest is kicking off with a bang this year.Reggae artist Barrington Levy will take to the stage at Horseshoe Bay as part of a line-up of international and local entertainers.Trevor Hall, hip-hop legends Dead Prez and local artists Canjelae and Joy T Barnum will also perform at Wednesday night’s concertOrganiser Deidra Lee Bean has billed the Emancipation Celebration as “a festive community event, with good vibes, good food, and awesome performances”.Live entertainment continues as part of Thursday’s celebrations when some of the Island’s top DJs will play reggae, rap, hip hop and folk hits.A beach football tournament, volleyball and beach rugby are also on the cards however the signature event is the East vs West Tug-o-War match — with special giveaways and prizes on offer. For the past few years Somerset supporters have dominated the game, Ms Bean said.Beachgoers can also play Crown and Anchor for fun dollars which are redeemable for sponsor merchandise.Ms Bean said: “Beachfest is designed to serve every facet of our community to combat social segregation and bring people together from a variety of backgrounds and from all over the world.”Chewstick executive director Gavin Smith said the group was proud of having five years of incident-free fun. It has won three Best of Bermuda Awards, recognised by residents as Cultural Event of the Year.According to Ms Bean, approximately 2000 people attended the first event in 2006 about 12,000 turned out last year.As part of safety precautions, Chewstick is not operating a bar at Thursday’s event and is discouraging persons from bringing glass bottles to the beach, Mr Smith said.The beach parking lot will be closed to private vehicles however a shuttle service will run from TN Tatem Middle School and from the top and bottom of the beach’s hill.Tickets to the Beachfest Emancipation Celebration Concert, $60 and up, are available from The Chewstick Foundation office, Kit n Caboodle, Rock Island Coffee, The Liberty Theatre and online, www.ptix.bm. The event runs from 7pm until 2am.Thursday’s event is free. DJs begin their sets at noon; games start at 1pm with live performances throughout the day.For more details visit www.beach-fest.com, phone 292-2439 or e-mail beachfest@chewstick.com.