Jamaica’s Clarendon parish welcomed a vibrant new community tradition over the Easter weekend, as the inaugural Clarendon Jerk Fest drew enthusiastic crowds to Woodleigh Estate, blending iconic local flavors, family-friendly entertainment and charitable impact despite scattered rain showers.
Organized by returning resident Lance Roache, the full-day celebration kicked off in the late afternoon, designed to cater to guests of all ages. Young attendees jumped into a lineup of interactive games, while adult visitors grooved to curated musical sets from popular DJ iKon. Media personality and event host Talia Soares-Brown kept energy high throughout the afternoon, engaging the crowd with sponsor-provided giveaways that added extra excitement to the day.
One of the festival’s most anticipated highlights was a star-studded celebrity cookoff, which brought together prominent local figures from across different sectors. Participants included Orrett Wallace, principal of Foga Road High; Suzette Camille Buchanan, CEO of Bellevue Hospital; well-known comedian and digital content creator Evert “Evy Royal” Johnson; and Eugena Clarke James, CEO of May Pen Hospital. Wallace ultimately took home the top prize in the friendly competition, partnering with local favorite Murray’s Fish and Jerk Hut to craft a crowd-pleasing rasta pasta paired with signature jerk chicken.
Beyond food and fun, the festival carried meaningful community purpose: a portion of all proceeds will benefit May Pen Hospital, which serves approximately 300 patients daily from Clarendon and surrounding neighboring communities. Clarke James emphasized the importance of the event for her institution, noting that participating in the first edition of the festival held huge value for the hospital and the communities it supports.
Corporate partner The Best Dressed Chicken, one of the event’s key sponsors, echoed that commitment to community connection. Brand manager Arielle Oliver noted that the festival aligned perfectly with the company’s core values, offering an ideal platform to connect with local residents and give back to the Clarendon community while celebrating the things that bring Jamaicans together: great food, shared joy, and family-focused fun.
As daylight faded and evening fell, the festival’s main stage opened for a stacked lineup of comedic and musical performances. Comedy duo Apachie Chief and Sarge kicked off the evening entertainment, followed by sets from rising recording artists Deizzle, Pipelyne, Inpha Reblitive and Ching Boss, before headlining acts Shane O and Ding Dong took the stage to cap off the night.
In addition to the celebrity cookoff, the festival hosted two competitive categories for local food vendors: Kevin “Antsman” Smith claimed the title of Best Pan Jerk Chicken, while local favorite Lorraine’s Kitchen won the award for Best Jerk Vendor.
Roache, the festival’s host and organizer, shared that he was pleased with the outcome of the first staging, even with multiple other events happening across the parish and the wider region over the Easter weekend that split potential crowds. Despite that, he called the turnout a strong showing for the new festival, praising all participating performers from local up-and-coming acts to the big-name headliners for delivering standout sets that kept the crowd engaged. Even sporadic light rain throughout the day failed to dampen attendees’ enthusiasm, with guests staying to sample the wide range of jerk and local food offerings and enjoy every moment of the celebration.