Return of Jamaica Carnival
AFTER an eight-year hiatus, Jamaica Carnival is set to return in January next year, according to Julian Lee, a director of the company.
In an interview with the Sunday Observer, Lee said although the official season is scheduled to start in January, things will get going on April 3.
“It is not the actual carnival. It is just a teaser of introduction of what is about to come. We will be parading through sections of the Corporate Area on that day… the day Daddy dubbed as ‘Carnival Sunday’,” said Lee.
‘Daddy’ is Byron Lee, the band leader who launched Jamaica Carnival in 1990. He died from cancer in 2008 at the University Hospital of the West Indies at age 73.
That was the last year of Jamaica Carnival.
Lee and his Dragonaires band rubbed shoulders with major acts from the Eastern Caribbean as the event, held during Easter, attracted massive crowds.
To expand Jamaica Carnival’s base, Lee also collaborated on hit songs with dancehall acts such as Admiral Bailey and Beenie Man.
His daughter said everyhing had to be in place before a comeback was finalised.
“We always knew that we were going to carry on the legacy, but the first two years were just too painful and the years that followed we had very tight budgets. We want to ensure that it is of the standard that Daddy left.”
