The Montego Bay Jerk and Food Festival is scheduled to return for its 17th staging on Saturday, August 1, at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre in St James. First held in 2009, the festival has grown over the years, attracting food lovers, families, visitors and members of the Jamaican diaspora. This year’s staging, which will be celebrated under the theme ‘Bringing Hope through Food & Culture’,  will carry added significance following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which caused considerable damage to the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre and raised questions about whether the festival would be able to return to its longtime home.Festival Organiser John Lindo made it clear that cancelling or relocating the event was never an option.“There was never a moment where we considered walking away. Yes, the damage to Catherine Hall created real challenges for us, and there were people who doubted whether we could pull it off this year, but that doubt only strengthened our resolve,” Lindo said. “The Montego Bay Jerk and Food Festival exists because of the people of this city, and those people deserve a show. We made a commitment to them, and we intend to honour it. August 1st is going to remind everyone exactly why this festival has stood for 17 years,” he added.The Montego Bay Jerk and Food Festival is also proud to be working alongside the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) to restore and prepare the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre to welcome patrons in full festival fashion. “Because this city built us, and we owe it everything. Bringing Hope through Food & Culture is not just a theme; it is exactly what we intend to do. Returning to Catherine Hall is about more than hosting an event; it’s about honouring that relationship. Our theme reflects exactly what we want this festival to represent for our city and our country,” Lindo explained. The organisers remain confident this year’s staging will continue its tradition of bringing together the island’s finest food vendors, entrepreneurs and patrons for an unforgettable day, with live entertainment featuring performances from dancehall and reggae acts including Skippa, Ayetian, Alaine, Felony 1T9, Top Banks and more.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com