Sumfest 2026

 Thanks to the destructive hurricane Melissa which wrecked everything in its path in Jamaica in 2025, Sumfest this year had to be moved from Montego Bay to Plantation near Ocho Rios.

This is the same venue where Rebel Salute used to be held annually, but I understand it is not being held any more and other events there are discouraged. 

I actually like this venue better but everyone who uses the main road or lives nearby, object to events being held there because traffic congestion makes life frustrating and even dangerous for them. 

 So the authorities don't normally give permission for things to be held there. But I guess they agreed to allow Sumfest this year because of the situation. 

Maybe they should have postponed the entire thing though, for this is the worst Sumfest I ever attended.

Why? 

Because for the entirety, they had no live bands but only recorded music!

 And for the first three hours or so, they used no artists but just screaming DJ's. 

I must admit though, the female Magnum dancers were extremely talented.👍

Queen Ifrica

When the live artists started to perform, the only one who was really impressive was Queen Ifrica and when the big stars, Vibes Kartel and Movado came on, only Movado had been worth  the wait, in my book.😡

 It was extremely well attended though so maybe the young people liked that crap, but I didn't.

We went, we listened but we were really not well entertained this year.

Ps. A friend brought to my attention the following statement which was posted to the organizer's webpage.

"Updates on the Return to Traditional Live BandsDownsound Entertainment has explicitly stated that this condensed format is a one-time, one-night emergency staging.Why it changed: The shift away from the traditional multi-night, live-band festival was entirely due to severe infrastructure and venue damage at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex in Montego Bay caused by Hurricane Melissa [05.1].The Future: Festival organizers have reassured fans that Montego Bay remains the permanent home of Reggae Sumfest. They plan to return to Catherine Hall for the July 2027 festival, restoring the traditional multi-night lineup that features full backing bands, comprehensive reggae nights, and traditional dancehall nights."

Pity I never saw the info re the change in program format before we bought tickets!😡

Reflections on 80.

 The thing about life is that we never know how long we will retain our memory. That is why I am so happy I started this blog about quarter  century ago and record almost everything. (Wish blogs were invented long before though.)

I was reflecting on becoming 80 which sounded so remote up to a week ago.

 But now I will soon move away from that landmark and end up where I wonder?

This is why I am saving these pics to remind me of all who helped me celeberate, from nearby Plantation and Lauderhill to distant Sebring  all in Florida. 

Last year I had big plans with friends to go on a cruise around sections of Southern Africa from Mauritius to Cape Town in 2026, to celebrate this milestone. However, my heart objected, informing me that I have to stay close my cardiologist.

So,  I will be finishing off the celebration next month with my immediate family, on a cruise in the the nearby Caribbean. (Some have school till June).

It is what it is.

To get the celebrations going, we started started in Plantation where my good friend Carolyn hosted a wonderful dominoes session.

 (https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/dominoes-forever.html)

Horace, Carolyn,  uncle Lesly, uncle Ruddy, Hollden at dominoes on my birthday. 

Then it was off  to lunch with my Trini friend Helena.

Not only was the Trini curry goat delicious,  but I have to thank Helena for reomtroducing me to Indian food. For you see, I was in Sri Lanka exactly a year ago, and while it was a great experience,  there they not only curry almost everything,  but the hot spices nearly killed me!🤢. 

I had never met hotter peppers in my life and thus I swore off curry.

But the Trini version was a delicious, gentle reminder that not all curry is hot and my once favorite roti, bussup shut, was most welcome.

Bussup shut.

Next we finished off the celebrations in Sebring where Camille and I drove to,  to spend the long weekend  with my lifelong, bosom friend  Sunshine and my extended family.

Thr Golden girls aka the scrabble ginigogs😁

The octogenerian.

Today (23rd) is Givannis birthday, but that makes him a Gemini, not a great Taurean😁. 

 He turns 13.

Yep it was great to get out of the city and hang around with more "family."❣️💕

Cardiff is extra special too for athough he was born an Adventist so pork has never touched his mouth, he had no problem seasoning and cooking the most delicious pork shoulder for me.😄.

Big up Cardiff.

It was so well seasoned, soft and delicious that I even had some for breakfast next day!

It's been a great 80th celebration.

On to the next big landmark.😉

88 not out!

 Uncle Rudy is surely doing well and looking sharp on his birthday ❤️.

88 years strong.

With daughter Carolyn.

And boy did she put on a splash for close friends from near and far to break bread with him, so to speak😊.

It was a nice get together for a few of his friends to celebrate with a wonderful person who, is also an avid domino player.😊

And their home and entire street was ready for Christmas already, a visual joy as usual for those traversing the streets in Plantation, Florida.

It’s Christmas 😊

I don’t normally go to church, unless its Christmas or if a very special person passes. 

Then I go to be with their family.

This is not because I am an atheist, but because I hate religion. For in my book, religion is the root of all the evils in the world, having caused most of the bloodshed over the centuries.

In my search for a civilized, non-violent religion, I had even looked into Buddhism one time. Then chaos reigned in Myanmar, and we saw the terrible images of Buddhist Monks, chasing out Rohingya Muslims, killing them and burning their villages.😡

That cured me instantly.

Obviously, the common thread among most religions seems to be vicious dogmatism which dictates that only my religion is the true one, so no one must enjoy this planet unless they subscribe to MY particular religious beliefs!

However I make the exception about avoiding religion and go to churches during Christmas, because I love Christmas music.

 In fact, not just Christmas music but Gospel music in general…….a hangover from the days when I was dragged into boring church services and the music was the only respite.😏

So, when in Jamaica, I even caroling with my friends in Lauristan, Spanish Town, on  Christmas mornings. 

This despite the community’s terrible reputation for violence. However, that problem only applies to small section on the banks of the Rio Cobre River, where squatters have settled.

The rest of the community has solid citizens and my friend Audley Nain, formerly of the Jamaica Folk Singers who is also president of the Citizens Association, started a Christmas ritual years ago whereby we would start at 5 am on Christmas morning,  knocking on peoples’ gates and singing carols loudly.

Then we all converge at the Community Centre where everyone would bring a dish, curried goat, jerk pork, turned cornmeal, hot chocolate, roast breadfruit and on and on😊.

After a sumptuous meal, the kids have their entertainment and we our dominoes, whatever.

How I miss those sessions, although I had the pleasure of joining them to celebrate Jamaica 60 this year. Joan, my views: Memories of Jamaica's 60th Anniversary celebrations. (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

But I am rambling aren’t I?

This was just a preamble to say how much I enjoyed the Christmas Concert at United Methodist Church in Plantation, Florida, which kicked off the season for me.

This was a Steve Higgins Production, in conjunction with the Consul General of Jamaica, featuring the South Florida Caribbean Chorale.

Steve Higgins as you probably know, is an excellent Jamaican tenor and cultural ambassador.

I enjoyed the entire concert, the interaction between the MC and audience, the music, and even the bits that the Jamaican Consul General to Miami performed.

He seems to be quite charismatic and talented.

I loved too how the choir and other performers switched from traditional Christmas Carols to Jamaican Christmas Carols written by the late, great, Noel Dexter and even one perforemd by Jamaican performer Pluto Shervington.

So, I have saved quite a few clips below for posterity. 

For posterity