Rebel Salute to offer camping facilities

It's a unique feature that has been adopted by the biggest and most notable music festivals across the globe. It was tried and proven to be something that can be incorporated at local music festivals, and so Rebel Salute is this year bringing back its camping feature.

For those who may not be lucky enough to book a hotel room in time or just can't afford it, this feature offers an alternative to sleeping in one's car and will cost only US$40 per night.

Speaking with THE WEEKEND STAR, attorney-at-law and one of the directors of Rebel Salute, Jahyudah Barrett, said that having realised that patrons were pitching tents inside the venue or bringing their sleeping gear and resting at random spots, they decided to set up camping facilities to offer patrons a more comfortable option.

"Before we thought about this, I can tell you that people came to Rebel Salute with their tents, so when 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock come in the mornings and they're tired, they would go in their tents and rest and get up back when they're ready," she said. "The event is in excess of 12 hours, and because of the interest of the people to really stay on the grounds for the duration of the programme, we said, 'Hey, this is something that we can also offer as part of our programme. It is also something that you see at other festivals across the world."

There is a checklist available on the Rebel Salute website for persons interested in camping on the grounds as the package is not all inclusive.

"We will have some tents that we will rent, but persons can come with their own tents and set up. Campers need to come with their own stuff such as personal items. But outside of that, we will have everything for the campers' convenience. So we will have like shower stalls where people can get freshened up," Barrett said.

Different activities

"The site itself is located right next to the beach on location so they can go swimming as well as we're trying to incorporate different activities as part of the camping experience to kind of entertain campers outside of the event itself. So, for example, we will have drumming, dancing and sound systems will be playing. We just want them to have an overall feel of the Jamaican culture, so we have partnered with Dolphin Cove, Mystic Mountain and others to ensure that patrons not only enjoy the event, but attractions around the parish."

This year, organisers hope to improve the camping area and the overall experience by offering Wi-Fi. The grounds are open to campers from Thursday, January 11 until Monday, January 14.