This year’s Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival held in Miramar, Florida’s spacious and comfy Regional Park was bigger than ever, and for good reason in that 2022 marks the Festival’s 20th Anniversary.  Presented in association with Publix, the 20th Anniversary of this marvelous annual festival in South Florida was nothing short of epic.  So too, the day-long event held on Sunday, November 13th was a breathtaking celebration of Jamaica’s food, music, and irie vibes.  In that spirit, festival-goers descended upon Miramar’s Regional Park in droves to indulge themselves in a variety of festival attractions, including the Culinary Pavilion that featuerd Celebrity Chefs, the Kids’ Zone, the Hot Zone party, the All-Inclusive VIP Vibe, a multitude of food, drink, and arts and craft vendors as well as cultural performances.  What’s more, the evening’s happenings boasted a concert on the Main Entertainment stage that featured outstanding performances from top names in Jamaican reggae and dancehall.

Hosted by Chef Irie, Culinary Coordinator, Private Chef and TV Host, the Publix Culinary Pavilion featured the Flavorful Celebrity Quick Fire Challenge and Special Guest — Toshami Calvin, Miss Universe Jamaica 2022.   Attendees certainly enjoyed the Cooking demonstrations and competitions at the Publix Culinary Pavilion.

The Western Union Cultural Stage ‘was a vibe’ with fun and entertaining tune-juggling that was accompanied by a lot of dancing all around.  Many classic dancehall songs were selected that not only conjured up nostalgia, but also the dance moves that went along with them, such as the ‘Bogle Dance’ by Buju Banton, ‘Log On’ and ‘Pon Di River’ by Elephant Man, ‘Tek Weh Yuself’ by Mr. Vegas, and ‘World Dance’ by Beenie Man just to name a few.

The VIP Vibe experience was like none other and was such a vibe in that it was sold out a couple of days before the Festival.

The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival’s Main Entertainment Stage was full of action in that it featured top-notch reggae and dancehall acts that included Baby Cham, Mykal Rose, Tarrus Riley, Romain Virgo, and Christopher Martin.  And prior to these juggernaut headliners taking the stage, Supa Twitch ‘The Legend’, House Arrest ‘Soca Warrior’, and Richie D ‘The Girls’ Cherry Tree’ put on a ‘Tribute to the 90s’ musical segment that no doubt conjured up feel good nostalgia.

Baby Cham shared his ‘Ghetto Story’

‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’?…Natty Dreadlocks Mykal Rose Joined Baby Cham on the Main Entertainment Stage

Tarrus Riley was ‘Royal’ alongside Iconic Saxophonist, Dean Fraser, and Black Soil Band 

Chris Martin and Romain Virgo Joined Forces and Delivered a Fantastic Performance in Combination

In additon to the masses who witnessed the spectacular 20th Anniversary of the 2022 Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival, there were several notables in attendance including Wayne Messam (Mayor of Miramar); Commissioner Maxwell Chambers (City of Miramar); Oliver Mair (Jamaica’s Consul General to Miami and Southern USA); Juliet Holness (wife of Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness); Tanto Irie (of ‘Reggae Runnins’ on South Florida’s Hot 105 FM radio); Ky-Mani Marley (son of Reggae King, Bob Marley); VP Records’ Howie Chin; Xavier Murphy (Jamaicans.com Founder & President), Pat Montague (President – Pat Montague Marketing & Promotions); Steve James (Reggaeville), David Muir (Street & Lifestyle Photographer – ‘Pieces of Jamaica’); Sanjay (Jamaican reggae & dancehall artist) and last but surely not least, Eddy Edwards, CEO of Jamaican Jerk Festival USA, Inc.

All in all, the 20th Anniversary of Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival was very well-organized thanks to not only Eddy Edwards, but also to all the contributors, chefs, and vendors.  And from all appearances, the Festival provided a great venue and party atmosphere—which allowed the patrons to reconnect with friends and socialize while enjoying amazing jerk food dishes and delicacies.  Without a doubt, folks are surely looking forward to next year’s installment of this marquis South Florida event.

Photos by Nick Ford, who lives and works in South Florida.