Golden Jubilee Village for the National Arena

Keisha Hill, Gleaner Writer

As Jamaica celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Jamaica 50 Secretariat has also planned the Golden Jubilee Village scheduled for August 1-6 at Independence Park, St Andrew. The entire complex will be transformed into a buzzing village utilising all the areas available to reflect the Independence celebrations.

The village will feature simultaneous activities daily, and will provide opportunities for Jamaicans to showcase their many talents. Included in the village will be food courts, arts and craft, a kiddies' area and commercial opportunities.

Meanwhile, the National Arena will be focused on a retrospective view of corporate entities, museums, entrepreneurs, ministries and local agencies whose history mirrors the growth of Jamaica over the last 50 years as an independent nation.

The village will also be the central headquarters connected to the 14 Jamaica 50 parish locations islandwide. Activities in these locations will be held from August 5-6, with the exception of Montego Bay, which will be held from August 3-6.

According to Robert Bryan, project manager at the Jamaica 50 Secretariat, each location will be connected live to a television platform at Independence Park. This, he said, is to ensure nationwide coverage of the celebrations. The platform, powered by LIME Jamaica, will also connect to Smirnoff Dream Weekend from August 1-6 and the Denbigh Agricultural Show from August 4-6.

"The Jamaica 50 celebrations at the Golden Jubilee Village will also be linked to areas in the United Kingdom, Canada and Miramar in Miami, Florida. This is to facilitate a global reach of the activities. It will also be streamed live on the Internet," Bryan said.

PARK and RIDE

A park-and-ride service will be offered from the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) headquarters, East Kings House Road and Jamaica College for persons who are attending the village. "It's a shuttle service that will have a continuous rotation of people. We are working through the details with the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC). Also, a public taxi stand will be directly outside of the village, adjacent to the Mountain View Avenue side," Bryan said.

Admission is free and, according to Bryan, there will be tight security at the venue with controlled security at the entrances. He said appropriate notices will be released in due course regarding security regulations and requirements.

"We have retained an independent security team, however, since it is a national event, the JDF and the Jamaica Constabulary Force will also be involved and will take the necessary steps to ensure complete security," Bryan said.

The village will be open to the public from noon to 1 a.m. each day during the Independence celebrations.

For further information, contact Monique Walcott, Jamaica 50 commercial coordinator, at 987-7654.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com

Booth spaces

The costs for booth spaces in the National Arena are as follows:

10 x 10 - $35,000

10 x 20 - $50,000

20 x 20 - $75,000

Food booths in the village:

10 x 10 - $45,000

Craft booths in the village:

10 x 10 - $25,000

Commercial opportunities

Multimedia

8 x 10 sec advertisements - $8,500 DAILY

Parameter boards in the National Stadium - Grand Gala (10ft x 3ft) $40,000

JAMAICA 50 VENUES

Independence Park (Jamaica Village), St Andrew

Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland

Lucea, Hanover

Cambridge, St James

Water Square, Trelawny

Lawrence Park, St Ann

Port Maria, St Mary

Mandeville Square, Manchester

May Pen, Clarendon

LOJ Plaza, Spanish Town

Portmore, St Catherine

Morant Bay, St Thomas

Port Antonio, Portland

Negril, Westmoreland

Dump-Up Beach, Montego Bay