The organizers behind the inaugural Jamaica Woodland Festival have a firm conviction that their festival experience can bring families together for a unique and unforgettable experience in paradise during the Easter weekend of 2025.

“We will be hosting the festival in the Ocho Rios area of St. Ann so the business and local community including hoteliers in the resort town are equally excited about this event,” David Anderson, founder, event director and logistics manager of the Jamaica Woodland Festival, said. 

“With camping as an element of this experience, the event will bring families together for a full day and night experience in a pristine natural environment.”

The event encourages families and patrons to be engaged in multiple activities during the day with cultural performances, kids’ villages, and obstacle courses involving family participation. 

The organizers said after the day’s events, families will then be able to  camp out at the venue during the night. Visitors will be encouraged to bring and pitch their own pre-equipped tents. They can also rent a pre-pitched tent with basic amenities for a hassle-free experience from the organizers.

“They can also upgrade to our luxurious tent, featuring comfortable beds, furniture, and other amenities. There will be shared facilities, access to shared bathrooms, showers, and changing areas. Plus, there will be 24-hour security ensuring your safety and peace of mind,” Anderson said. 

Campers and festival goers will be entertained by a diverse line-up of local and international artistes and top sound systems. 
“We have something for everyone, for parents looking for a fun and safe festival experience with activities for children. Foodies can experience authentic Jamaican cuisine, nature enthusiasts can enjoy outdoor activities and connect with nature in an environmentally responsible way,” Anderson said. 

Anderson believes that his event can help repair some of the broken bonds that have driven Jamaican families apart in recent decades. 
“We must reform the family bonds that make us truly Jamaican and have produced so many generations of strong Jamaican men and women…that’s why the churches are on board with this event,” he said.

Anderson said his aim is to attract over 10,000 patrons to the event, and he has already engaged various stakeholders and government agencies like the Social Development Commission, Rural Agricultural Development Authority, and the Urban Development Corporation to make the event a reality. 

“This is a totally Jamaican event, and it will be held in close proximity to Ocho Rios town centre and a few minutes from where cruise ships dock in the parish. As part of the operational plan is to liaise with the UDC to set up parking areas and shuttle people into the event to ensure guaranteed and effective traffic management and reduce traffic flow,” he said. 

THE VISION, NO DIVISION

Anderson believes that the event will provide a multi-million-dollar boost to the tourism sector and local economy as well, and that includes the small players who are often neglected.  

“We have over 900 registered craft vendors from St Anns who are interested in being on board to help create that unique Jamaican experience,” he said.  

The craft market presidents are heavily involved in this event. The hoteliers, Air B and B owners, the craft market vendors, local businesses  and event suppliers are excited about the prospects. 

The JWF planning committee which includes Tony Owens – artiste liaison manager/promoter; Greg ‘Ras Manga’ McCaw – food and beverage manager; Lacksdean Anderson, event operations manager; Clare Pink Bruce, craft vendor engagement manager.

McCaw, known for his work at Rebel Salute and Reggae Food international, will play a major role in how the cuisine is presented to the public at Jamaica Woodland Festival.
He has vowed to meet international safety and food preparation standards and that ‘the food will manifest itself in an artistic aesthetic way that will bring gastronomic pleasure’.

“We’re inviting international and local chefs to be at this event. The Jamaica Woodland Festival will carry serious cultural impact in terms of the layout across the spectrum of stalls, the adherence to international food standards of cleanlinessand the wide range of dishes drawing from our heritage: Rastafarian, African, Chinese, Indian and Maroons. The food will be multicultural, oneness out of the many…the aesthetic, poetry, art will be manifested in the festival,” McCaw said. 

As it relates to specifics, he said festival goers can expect a wide range of authentic Jamaica cuisines to choose from.

Patrons can expect an ital stew which McCaw dubbed a ‘reparation stew’ and a drink called Stepping Razor that is hot and cold in its chemistry.

“The Stepping Razor will definitely start a conversation. Campers who are coming in will need to taste the cartwheel dumplings in a different way and coco tea. This will be done from 10 am Sunday until 10 am Monday,” he said. 

McCaw said the servers will all be dressed in uniforms and will not only serve, but offer “information and personality” along with their food offerings. 

“It will be an experience to remember,” McCaw said.