Dancehall, roots reggae, lover rock, calypso, soca and all meats jerk took over Roy Wilkins park in Queens this past Sunday.
Jerk chicken and pork went to battle with orders of roast corn, oxtail, curry chicken, rice and peas, patties and coconut. The lines were long but moved quickly. Hundreds upon hundreds of people, from children to young people, parents, singles and grandparents, strolled through dozens of vendors from Grace, Fly Jamaica and VP records, as well as local vendors selling Caribbean wares.
The food and the music are what drew people from all over the tristate and beyond to this sixth annual Jerk Festival, entertaining them from midday to around 8 p.m. Some came for the belly-filling Jamaican food, but hundreds came strictly to mash down the place, dancing to Reggae Ambassadors Third World, Dancehall superstar Dexta Daps, world-wide star Gyptian and soca wunderkind Rupee. Radio personality Dahved Levy, comedian Pretty Boy Floyd, the Platinum Kids and MC Dubmaster Kids kept the happy crowd pumped from the Western Union Cultural Stage.
“I was so impressed with all the wonderful jerk dishes on offer. It was absolutely exciting,” said first-time participant Trish Cousar, who came with her 21-year-old daughter Imani Smith. “We live in New York, but we are from the South, and this was a wonderful experience. I thought it was a glorious example of pan-Caribbean unity. Everyone was there—as a vendor, artist or like me, a visitor coming to enjoy all the flavor. It was a fabulous example of how economically we circulated funds within our community. This festival was the perfect practicing of the Kwanzaa principle of Ujamaa economics. The entertainment was absolute thrilling—all those artists back to back. It was exciting.”
Vendors did indeed show off their best Jamaican dishes, including Yardies, Caribbean Corns, Mama’s Cooking, Boston Jerk, Mr. Cee Jerk Center and Home of the Original Jerk Chicken. Amid the food demonstrations, the chicken-filled grills and the appearance of “Chopped” champion Chef Andre Fowles was the very busy Kids Zone, which included a bouncy castle and rides.
“New York continues to support the festival tremendously and for that we are grateful,” co-organizer Eddy Edwards, CEO of Jamaican Festival USA, Inc., explained. “The success of the performances on our stages along with our distinguished chefs and competitors in the cook-off pavilion were a showcase of Jamaica’s culinary, musical and cultural best.”
As he prepares for the next Jerk Festival in Miami, Edwards concluded, “We are happy to present this experience and look forward to next year.”
For more information, visit www.JerkFestivalNY.com.
