Jamaica — Events
Bacchanal Jamaica
Jam-packed with spectacle, pageantry and revelry, the biggest festival in Jamaica is a good-natured annual bash that takes the island’s music into the streets of Kingston. Since the first carnival in 1990 the event has grown phenomenally to attract tens of thousands of costumed merry-makers and spectators who congregate over the carnival weeks and line the route for the final Parade. Other centers on the island also hold carnival events, and contestants from the different parishes vie for the title of ‘Soca Monarch’, dancing in a special competition.
Reggae Sumfest
For many people Jamaica is synonymous with reggae music. So where better to go to a reggae festival than in the reggae capital of the world! The Reggae Sumfest is held every summer in Montego Bay and attracts the best reggae, ska and dub musicians and artists from across the globe. The reggae festival is held over three days and is widely viewed as the best reggae festival in the world. Musicians that have performed at the festival in the past include Wyclef Jean, Mary J Blige, Destiny’s Child, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliott as well as many others.
Reggae Marathon
In true Jamaica style the island is host to the annual Reggae Marathon. Many may wonder what a reggae marathon is, picture an island marathon with a sound system rigged up along the race route playing reggae beats to egg the athletes on and you just might have the correct image in mind. With world class athletes such as Usain Bolt hailing from the small island one might come to the conclusion that running to the tune of Bob Marley’s ‘jamming’ might just be the way forward. The Reggae Marathon is a world class run along some of Negril’s finest white sandy beaches.
Bob Marley Week
Reggae fans and Rastafarians gather in Kingston during the first week of February each year to enjoy a feast of events lined up to commemorate the life and music of Jamaica’s best-known son, Bob Marley. Apart from a concert, the week includes symposiums, lectures, karaoke contests, a fashion show, exhibition and various other events related to Marley, who died of cancer in 1981. The week is organized by the Bob Marley Foundation and Bob Marley Museum.
