World-renowned festival’s cancellation a big blow

With the Boston Jerk Festival not being held this year, Portland residents are working twice as hard to recover from the economic blow before the back-to-school rush.

"Mi raise pigs and chickens weh mi did specially a save fi the jerk festival. When mi hear say it nah keep, mi count mi losses and sell it to the restaurant owners them cheap, cheap," said one woman who sells to vendors at the Boston Jerk Centre. "We haffi find other way fi mek ends meet, but it was an event we did a depend pon fi back-to-school spending."

The event's promoter Colin Bell said the event is usually held during the Emancipation period, and this year's cancellation has robbed the parish of more than $60 million in economic activity.

"Barbers lose, hairdressers, people who sell clothes, people who raise pigs or chicken fi the festival. It is the biggest event in Portland every year, and it didn't happen," he said. Bell said that he did not get a permit for the event, hence the cancellation.

"I went to the parish council (Portland Municipal Corporation) to get a permit [and] they told me no, they can't give one for this property. That's the bottom line. I didn't get a permit."

But Portland Mayor Paul Thompson said the matter was out of his hands.

"I don't really have anything to do with it. I think NEPA and UDC [did not approve]. All I know [is] that they said that his contract was finished and they're not renewing it. It's out of the hands of the parish council now," Thompson said. He noted that event approval involves multiple agencies.

"If you're keeping a function, you have to apply for the permit. Police is very important in granting of permits. The fire department also. So if they are not in agreement or the facilities are not up to date to be granted a permit, it cannot be granted," he said.

"You just pay the money at the parish council. But then it is left to the public health, the police and the fire department. For example, the fire department might be looking for fire extinguisher. The health department might be looking at the standard of the place in terms of if you're cooking food or whatever and toilet facility, and the fire brigade looking for the entrances to make sure that there are more than one exit. So all those things come into play." He also pointed out that final clearance includes an interview with the police, which must take place within 10 days of the scheduled event.

For Bell, the loss is felt even deeper because "Boston is the home place of jerk", dating back to the time of the Maroons. Over time, Boston's jerk tradition exploded into an internationally recognised culinary brand, quickly growing into the largest jerk food festival in the English-speaking Caribbean.

"In 2003, we had over 32,000 people through the gates, and another 30,000 on the streets. In our 2024 survey, we saw that more than 800 people came from overseas, and over 500 of them stayed at least three nights in Portland. That's heads on beds and direct foreign exchange into the local economy," said Bell.

He admitted that other venues were considered after being denied the permit, "but the Boston Jerk Festival can only be held in Boston".

"People come here for the atmosphere, for the authenticity," he said, adding that other venues would require a bigger budget.

"Everything is compact and ideal here. This is where it started. Unless the festival outgrows the space, we not moving," he added.

Despite the obstacles, Bell said the festival's core team is already looking toward next year. Beyond the food, Bell sees the festival as part of Jamaica's wider cultural and creative economy and a symbol of what can be achieved when culture is taken seriously as a business.

- T.P.