MoBay Jerk Festival a hit

Hundreds turned out to chow down on authentic Caribbean cuisine at the 2016 staging of the Montego Bay Jerk Festival at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre, held over the Emancipation weekend.

The day-and-night family event was held across two days for the first time, with a gospel concert on Sunday and reggae-dancehall show on Monday.

Jamaicans from as far as Kingston flocked to the venue, which was jam-packed with entertainment and giveaways for the young and old.

For the children, there was the kiddies' village that featured various rides such as merry-go-round, bounce-a-bout, tractor rides and much more. The adults were treated to celebrity cook-offs and a comedy segment by Pretty Boy Floyd, among other activities.

The gospel concert drew a big audience due to the stellar line-up of artistes such as DJ Nicholas, Tasha Cobbs, Jabez, Ramone Watson and others, who delivered an evening of great sound to the massive crowd.

Mavado and Devin Di Dakta led the impressive line-up of stars who delivered during the dancehall-reggae show. The Second City's very own TeeJay and Ryme Minista did a double act, while Tanto Blacks performed a 'Rich' segment.

"It was my first time here and I wanted to experience it ... and, well, the event was great. The artistes performed well and the food tastes good," Kemesha Gayle, a patron said.

Promoter John Lindo said the festival continues to grow yearly and for that reason it was expanded to two nights.

"This is our seventh year, so we went for the big-league artistes. We are just grateful and happy that we can deliver to not just Montego Bay and the west, but Jamaica itself," said the Canada-based promoter.

His sentiments were echoed by Culture and Entertainment Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, who endorsed the festival and its zeal for wholesome family fun.