Festivals in Jamaica

Festivals In Jamaica:  Experience Island Culture up Close and Personal 

An easy and entertaining way for you to sample the local island culture on your vacation is by going to one or more of Jamaica's annual festivals. 

The Annual International Jazz Festival Held in Ocho Rios 

This jazz festival will be held in June this year and will celebrate seventeen years of consistent success in this area of the musical arts.  Eagerly anticipated by both locals and tourists, the annual Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival showcases some of the most famous names on the international jazz scene and presents the best musical talent Jamaica has to offer. 

Over the course of the last ten years, the world has seen a number of jazz festivals crop up throughout the world, both at home and abroad.  Many festivals held elsewhere in the Caribbean have adopted innovations first introduced by this renowned Jamaican annual festival. 

The Annual Jamaica Spice Festival 

Jamaica's premier food festival is called Jamaica Spice.  Held by the Jamaica Tourist Board in July to showcase local Jamaican cuisine, this festival is a one-day celebration of food that should not be missed by local or international Epicureans. 

The main highlights of this festival include exhibitions relating to traditional gourmet foods, processed foods and other culinary delights produced locally in Jamaica.  The organizers of Jamaica Spice anticipate that almost fifty exhibitors will be showcasing Jamaican rums and liqueurs, coffee, meats, chutneys, juices, fruits, candies, arts & crafts and other locally-produced items.  

Food lovers throughout the world look forward to attending Jamaica Spice with great anticipation.  An assortment of exhibitors, local media personalities and restaurateurs conduct lively cooking demonstrations throughout the day. 

Contemporary Jamaican dishes prepared by experts will be on display, available for sale and for sampling by members of the public attend the festival.  You can bring some of the flavor of Jamaica home with you, but make sure you check what you'll permitted to bring through customs on the way back home before you buy anything at the festival. 

The Accompong Maroon Festival 

Descendants of slaves brought to Jamaica to work on the island's sugar plantations are called Maroons, and these are the people who celebrate this unusual annual festival every January. 

The festivities at the Accompong Maroon Festival include a pig roast where black male pigs are cooked in large pots.  The entire Maroon community and its visitors then dine on the succulent pork.  According to the local tradition, having a bite of this roasted pork will bring good luck. 

The Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival 

Sponsored by the country's national airline, the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival is a lively event that features popular Jamaican performers in addition to performances by international artists. 

Naturally, Reggae is an important part of the festival's program, but you'll also be able to listen to jazz and other music genres.  This wonderful music festival takes place in Montego Bay every January. 

You'll be in for a treat if you decide to go to any of these Jamaican annual festivals while you're on your vacation.  You can find the exact dates these and other festivals will be held during the year by making a simple inquiry at the Jamaica Tourist Board.  

You owe it to yourself and the complete success of your vacation to take in one of the Festivals in Jamaica.

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