J-A-M, Jamaica! You seemingly already know, however a visit to the island is at all times a vibe. EBONY lately hopped on a flight to partake within the thirtieth anniversary of the Reggae Sumfest, and it didn’t disappoint.
The weeklong festivities started with a number of neighborhood occasions together with a household day, an all-black celebration in addition to the annual World Sound Conflict at Montego Bay’s Pier 1. In the event you aren’t accustomed to Caribbean tradition and sound clashes, they’re basically an intense DJ battle the place the selectas (DJs) go head-to-head in a sequence of rounds utilizing customs dubs that includes a number of the world’s hottest dancehall and reggae artists. This yr, there have been 4 gifted people competing from Jamaica, South Sudan and even Japan. Ultimately, DJ Dynamq from the Mom Continent took the crown.
Then, on July 21, 2023, the official Reggae Sumfest started. For 2 nights, dancehall and reggae lovers gathered on the venue grounds to whine their waists and let the tunes transfer them, properly into the early morning hours—actually, the live shows ended at 8am. A number of the hottest artists—young and old—who have been born and bred within the nation hit the stage to present followers a present. Everybody from Jada Kingdom, Tanya Stephens, Masicka, Jah Vinci, Freddie McGregor, Valiant, D’Yani and so many extra.
“We’re at all times searching for new and modern methods to place Jamaica as a vacation spot individuals need to go to,” Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett tells EBONY. “Reggae Sumfest is engrained in our tradition and resonates with our worldwide audiences in addition to our brothers and sisters of the Diaspora.”
Throughout our time on the island, we additionally obtained to discover a bit extra of what MoBay needed to supply. From spending a day in a Rastafarian village to kicking again at a Black-owned seaside membership, this is how we spent our time in Jamaica.
What we did
Whereas all of the Reggae Sumfest motion occurred from late night time into the early morning, we nonetheless needed to spend our days immersing ourselves within the tranquility of the island. Throughout our first full day, we frolicked at Tropical Bliss Seashore, a locally-owned seaside membership and bar. We kicked again in our rented cabana as we sipped rum punch and frozen cocktails because the soothing ocean waves relaxed us. The spot additionally presents watersports, a full menu, Wi-Fi, distributors in addition to bogs and showers.
The subsequent day, we headed as much as the countryside to expertise a day with a number of the island’s remaining Rastas. Tucked away within the lush inexperienced hills and mountains, Rasta Safari was undoubtedly a spotlight. The tour began with an outline of the corporate and the historical past of how they got here to personal and take care of the land. From there, we hopped on ATVs to drive deeper into the property, the place we then stopped at a pure blue swimming gap—stated to have therapeutic properties—to take a dip and feast on fresh-picked mango.
After the tour, we sat all the way down to a homecooked ital (plant-based) meal ready by locals.
What we ate
We have been within the land of all-things jerk, so in fact, we needed to partake. After our trek from the Rasta Safari, we stumbled upon a neighborhood spot referred to as Border Jerk. We ordered a heavy serving to of fresh-off-the-grill jerk hen, competition, roasted candy potatoes, breadfruit, and keenness fruit, mango and ginger juices. Our bellies have been very glad.
Past Border Jerk, we indulged in oxtails from Peppa’s, steamed and fried fish with rice and peas from Tropical Bliss Seashore, and a lot extra.
