Kingston, 9 December 2019 – The Minister of the Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, and the Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Edmund Bartlett, have launched Reggae Month 2020 to be celebrated under the theme ‘Come ketch de riddim.’

Since 2008, the month of February has been recognised annually in Jamaica as Reggae Month.

“We deliberately decided to launch before Christmas,” said Minister Grange who declared that Reggae Month 2020 would be “the best ever.”

“We are determined to produce a world-class and exciting package for Reggae Month 2020,” said Minister Grange whose Ministry and its agencies are organising Reggae Month celebrations jointly with the Ministry of Tourism and its agencies.

Minister Bartlett said “we want to invest more in Reggae Month and so the Ministry of Tourism along with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport will put serious funding into Reggae Month from next year onwards.”

Reggae Month usually features a series of live entertainment activities across the island for the entire month of February. However for 2020, celebratory activities will be held in the Diaspora, as well.

“We are partnering with Miramar in Florida,” said Minister Grange, adding that “we have worked out a series of activities that we will do in Florida and we will have exchanges during the month of February between Miramar and Kingston.”

The Vice Mayor of Miramar, Alexandra Davis, said the city was looking forward to including Reggae Month celebrations into the Black History Month commemoration.

The Vice Mayor said Miramar was well placed to lead Reggae Month celebrations in the Jamaican Diaspora as several Reggae icons reside in the city “where all five of the elected officials that run the city are of Jamaican descent or were born in Jamaica, so Reggae is very close to our hearts.”

The Reggae Month Secretariat has also forged a strategic partnership with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association under which hotels will offer special rates on accommodation for Regge Month.

Both Ministers Grange and Bartlett have invited Jamaicans in the Diaspora and the peoples of the world to come to Jamaica during Reggae Month 2020 and enjoy our infectious rhythm.

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