The Most Popular
Jamaican Celebrations!

We have lots of them and there are year round!

If you ask me, I would probably tell you they fall into four categories:

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1. The Music Festivals

   Thanks to the extreme popularity of Reggae Music, our music festivals are well known.

   • Reggae Sumfest,
   • Reggae Sunsplash,
   • East Fest and
   • Rebel Salute, are probably the biggest names in local music events.

     Of course, their is also the annual

   • International Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues festival,
   • The Ocho Rios Jazz festivals,
   • The Port Royal Music festival and the ever exciting
   • Jamaica Carnival.

   By the way, 2008 marked the inaugural Reggae Academy Awards (IRI Awards). No doubt this will be a sizzler!

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2. National Holidays

   We have ten national holidays, four of which are Christian holiday, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Christmas Day, the other 6 are more secular- Labour Day, Independence Day, Emancipation Day, National Heroes Day, New Year's Day and Boxing Day.

   Heroes Day, Emancipation Day and Independence day however are a lot more reflective and a lot of appropriate events takes place to recognize that.

   In fact, it is typically those days that the diaspora celebrate with us from wherever they are in the world.

   The Canadians for example, celebrate our independence day with Jamaica Day.

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3. Food Festivals

   These are my favourite! I love them. Every time I visit one I see something unique, something new!

   There are

   • Curry Festivals,
   • Mango Festivals,
   • Breadfruit Festivals,
   • Jerk Festival,
   • Yam Festivals,
   • Bammy & Seafood Festivals and
   • Chicken Festivals.

   There are also annual food shows for example, the Denbigh and the Hague agricultural shows.

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4. Cultural Celebrations

   Oh boy, we have quite a few here.

   In addition to the designated holiday celebrations, we also have:

   • the annual Bob Marley Birthday celebrations held on February 6th each year,
   • the National Festival of the Arts which runs through the summer- beginning early on and ending on Jamaican Independence Day,
   • the Accompong Maroon Festival which takes place each year on January 6- the birthday of Captain Cudjoe who defeated the English army,
   • Heritage Fest, also held each fall, is an annual festival in Kingston that celebrates and uses food, dance and music to explore the diversity of Jamaica's population. Heritage Fest pays homage to all of the diverse ethnicities found in Jamaica.

By the way, many other food, cultural and music celebrations happens all over the world were the diaspora resides. The UK, Canada and the US are dominant.

For specific information on any of these, and other Jamaican celebrations or events, please check with your local travel agent or your guest relations desk at the hotel.

And hey, if you haven't yet done so, make sure you subscribe to my free monthly e-zine My Island Jamaica Digest (MIJD) and stay with the latest from Jamaica!

You may also bookmark my current events in Jamaica page as well. It keeps you up with the very latest news from JA.

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Still, lots to tell don't miss these informative pages:

• Traditional Jamaican Dances
• Historical Sites in Jamaica
• Jamaican Food
• A vacation in Jamaica
• Pictures from Jamaica
• How to Get around Jamaica
• Top Jamaican Newspapers
• Our Discussion Forums

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