By Julian Putley

Rhythm and reggae are at the very heart of Caribbean culture. The BVI is home to both, and in no short measure. A quick scan through the local media and you may find it hard to choose how to spend your party nights.

For reggae lovers, Quito's Gazebo in Cane Garden Bay is a must-stop spot. Tortolan Quito, with his band The Edge, will have you up and on the dance floor in no time. The full band plays on Fridays and Saturdays, whilst Quito plays unplugged on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You won't find better reggae anywhere. While you're in Cane Garden Bay, don't miss Myett's, where live bands perform most holiday nights and weekends. Wander up the beach and check it out.

There are probably several contenders for Tortola's hottest nightspot, and high on the list is the Bat Cave at Road Town's Inner Harbour. Upstairs from the very popular Italian restaurant Spaghetti Junction, the Bat Cave swings into action after 9 p.m. and is a favourite on weekends, with a popular DJ spinning the latest sounds until the wee hours. Bartenders often offer complimentary tantalising sips and exotic shots. Theme nights and karaoke are also popular.

Jost Van Dyke's Foxy's is the BVI's legendary beach bar, restaurant and entertainment centre. On Friday and Saturday nights, boaters flock here for the barbecue buffet and fun times afterwards. There's dancing to a live band, a "stroking contest" and an audience participation quiz. Foxy's is also famous for the mega event at his "outback" venue — the New Year's Festival, which is now world-famous.

Not to be missed is the dinner show at the Last Resort. The extremely talented "Almighty" Al Broderick, aka "the Singing Chef," has a huge repertoire of songs and tunes that take listeners through the decades, and he's ably assisted by Dave on keyboards. There's a lot of audience participation and free tequila shots. You're bound to have fun here.

At Tortola's West End, there's a bar/restaurant named for the quintessential happy Caribbean pirate. You guessed it! It's the Jolly Roger. Every season the bar hosts a series of musical acts over a period of about 16 weeks from January through April called the True Music Series. The bands play from an open-air stage with plenty of dancing room, and the action gets lively from about 9 p.m. Hudson and the Hoodoo Cats, Deb Callahan and The Reverend Raven are a sampling of the top acts playing this popular venue.

On sister island Virgin Gorda, The Bath & Turtle pub has its weekly "jump up" on Wednesday with lively reggae, and Jumbies Beach Bar at Leverick Bay hosts a spectacular party night on Fridays with a gargantuan pig roast buffet, performing mocko jumbies and a reggae band. Virgin Gorda's talented Latitude Stars is the house band at the world-famous Bitter End Yacht Club. This band performs the full range of Caribbean music and is open to special requests.

If you're lucky enough to be in the BVI during a full moon, two outstanding parties await your presence. The whole of Trellis Bay metamorphoses into party central from sundown on full-moon nights. A Caribbean buffet is served alfresco by the Caribbean Kitchen, and soon afterwards one of two bands will strike up, probably a fungi or steel pan band. Dancing starts in earnest as the mocko jumbies make their entrance. These colourful stilt walkers thrill the crowd with their acrobatic antics and amazing stunts. Suddenly, flickering shadows from burning sculptures enhance the scene, whilst fire jugglers amaze the crowd. It's a night to remember.

At the island's western end there's another full-moon party. Bomba's Shack is renowned Caribbean-wide for its origins and its magic mushroom tea. The structure at the water's edge in Cappoon's Bay is made up from bits of driftwood, hurricane debris and flotsam and jetsam. With decades of graffiti and adorned with various ladies' lingerie, the venue is indeed unique. After the barbecue, the band strikes up around 9 p.m. and the party spreads out across the road, across the car park and along the beach, as revellers party with gay abandon in an atmosphere of "anything goes." The tea is served at midnight.

For Caribbean party fun, the BVI is hard to beat.

Be sure to call each venue ahead of time, as performance schedules may change.

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