ACTING chairman of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Fae Ellington says that free admission to the Jamaica 50 national events is a gift to Jamaicans.

"The thinking behind it was to make this a gift to the people of Jamaica... So it is a part of giving back to the people, why they are not being asked to pay," Ellington told yesterday's Observer Monday Exchange.

Tickets will be available from a number of locations, including JCDC offices islandwide; Portmore Mall Pharmacy; Music Depot in Clock Tower Plaza; Jamaica National (selected branches); and LIME locations at Carlton Crescent, Knutsford Boulevard, Sovereign Mall, Bargain Mall in Port Maria, Bargain Village in May Pen, Savanna-la-Mar, LOJ Shopping Centre and Fairview in Montego Bay.

Tickets have also been made available to sponsors, members of parliament and parish councillors, the JCDC said.