The Bermuda Music Festival is set to start with a sultry night of Reggae and Romance, said the Minister of Tourism yesterday.

The acts for the opening night will be the legendary Manhattans and the local reggae band Jahstice.

Minister Ewart Brown said, due to lack of interest for the original opening act, the organisers had a change of heart.

?Originally we were planning to have the Trinidadian steel band Exodus,? he said. ?However, ticket sales were extremely sluggish and we were jeopardising our relationship with the hotel and they have been a good partner in this and so we decided to make a change.

?Now we are ready to move ahead with the Manhattans.?

Dr. Brown added that the Manhattans were a popular group with Bermudians.

?They are no strangers to Bermuda, this group has enjoyed popularity over the years,? he said.

?They are looking forward to returning to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Bermuda Music Festival.

?I do want you to know that if you took a poll in Bermuda for the favourite old-school group ? it would be the Manhattans. So, we are delighted that the Festival Productions were able to make the quick step to get the Manhattans.?

The group featuring Blue Lovett and Gerald Alston will be performing at the Kick-Off Celebration at the Fairmont Southampton Beach Club on Wednesday, October 5 at 8 p.m.

?(A)s you are aware the 10th Anniversary Bermuda Music Festival will include such premier artists as Grammy Award winning Patti LaBelle, the Rev. Al Green, Joss Stone, Regina Carter, Angie Stone and Chris Botti, just to name a few,? Dr.Brown said.

?I want to extend a particular thank you to George Wein and Festival Productions Inc. who have been instrumental in producing this year?s event.?

The 2004 Festival was drowned out by Tropical Storm Nicole last October, but this year Dr. Brown said they have contingency plans in place.

?Last year you will recall that the Festival was terminated because of bad weather,? he said.

?At that time, I said that we would seek a plan B, and immediately after last year we began to research domes and tents and all kinds of alternative venues.

?The alternative that we have come up with is that we have to schedule the event and put insurance and a reimbursement scheme in place in the event that the show cannot go on.

?We don?t anticipate that happening, but we found out that the plan B could not involve a physical venue and that there was no way that we could move the equipment and put the show on and guarantee everybody a seat.

?So, we decided to take other steps and put the cancellation insurance in place and a reimbursement plan for patrons.?

Black Entertainment Television festival producer Rick White said ticket sales are going well in the US and that patrons should get tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Tickets are available at Sound Stage, Washington Mall, or at www.bermudamusicfestival.com.