Plenty in store for three-day Treasure Beach festival

Celebrating St Elizabeth’s farmers remains central to the vision of the Treasure Beach Food, Rum & Reggae Festival, which organisers are set to bring back to the south coast from November 6 to 8, following last year’s Hurricane Melissa relief benefit staging.

At the festival’s media launch, held at 10A West Kings House Road on Tuesday, co-directors Jason Henzell and Gregory Wright outlined plans for the three-day staging, which will feature reggae artistes Protoje and Lila Iké, alongside a programme of food, rum and cultural experiences.

Henzell said accommodation in Treasure Beach was reportedly filling up, with visitors exploring options in surrounding areas, including Top Hill, Junction and Mandeville.

“The community is already very excited about the return of food, fun and reggae,” he said, adding that events like the festival can help restore activity and boost communities recovering from difficult periods.

The festivities will begin on Friday, November 6, with a retro-inspired DJ sound system clash in partnership with Dubwise at Jack Sprat. Saturday’s programme at the Treasure Beach Breds Sports Park will feature a farmers’ market, an artisan village showcasing talent from across the parish, a food village and performances by headliners Protoje and Lila Iké, alongside other entertainment. Activities will run from midday until 2 a.m.

The line-up will also feature deejays Kirt Riley, Rory of Stone Love, Delano of Renaissance, Jason Panton, DJ Franco and DJ Nova. The popular Rumbar Crawl will return, while a beach party at Jack Sprat on Sunday, November 8, will close the weekend.

When asked what ticket sales had looked like so far, Wright told The Gleaner that the response had been encouraging, with purchases coming from Jamaica and overseas markets, including Australia, Paris, Africa and the United States.

St Elizabeth native Protoje expressed appreciation for the parish’s cultural offerings, including Calabash and the Food, Rum & Reggae Festival, and said he looked forward to performing alongside Lila Iké.

“It ago be crazy man with Lila Iké and Protoje, with one or two special guests that might roll with us. It will be a nice vibe and positive energy,” he added.

For Lila Iké, performing in Treasure Beach is both an honour and an opportunity to support the people of St Elizabeth. Describing the festival as a great production, she said patrons could expect “great music as per usual, great performance and great vibes”.

Beyond the entertainment, Henzell said the festival was established to celebrate St Elizabeth’s agricultural heritage and highlight the potential of agro-tourism in the parish, widely known as Jamaica’s “breadbasket”.

“We do it to celebrate the farmers first and foremost,” he explained, adding that agrotourism presented an opportunity for the parish that deserved greater recognition and investment.

Wright outlined the organisers’ aim of creating an authentic Jamaican experience that will leave patrons feeling “revived, refreshed, rejuvenated and also reconnected” through the country’s food, rum and reggae traditions.

Organisers have pledged $1 million towards supporting farmers in St Elizabeth, continuing a commitment made at the previous staging. Last year, the allocation supported water trucking through collaboration with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and Member of Parliament Floyd Green in response to drought conditions.

Henzell also highlighted the work of the Treasure Beach Foundation, the festival’s charitable arm, saying more than $175 million in vouchers had been distributed since Hurricane Melissa to support needs including fishing and farming.

Appleton Estate, which was born in St Elizabeth more than 270 years ago, is supporting this year’s festival. Dominic Bell, the brand’s communications manager, said the partnership reflected its commitment to the south coast’s social and economic development.

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is also backing the festival as part of efforts to promote Jamaica’s cultural offerings and encourage visitors to explore destinations beyond the island’s traditional tourism centres.

“For us at the Tourist Board, the Treasure Beach Food, Rum & Reggae Festival provides an exciting platform to showcase Jamaica’s creativity, talent and cultural heritage while creating opportunities for local businesses to benefit from tourism,” said Donovan White, director of tourism at the JTB.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com