THE last three Festival Queens are to be crowned this weekend, ahead of the grand final scheduled for the National Arena in Kingston on Thursday, August 1.

Tonight will see St Elizabeth and St Mary selecting their parish finalists at Alpart Sports Club and Anglican Church Hall, respectively. Both shows are slated for a 7:00 pm start.

Trelawny will host theirs tomorrow at the Royalton Hotel in Falmouth, beginning at 8:00 pm.

Organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition has catapulted the careers of countless young and brilliant Jamaican women over the past 50 years.

“We have seen excellent talent and potential in the parish queens selected so far. These young ladies have proven themselves to be well poised, knowledgeable on their Jamaican culture and heritage, and eager to further develop themselves throughout this iconic programme,” said Andrew Clunis, JCDC’s director of marketing and public relations.

Clunis has high expectations for the upcoming coronations.

“Trelawny, St Mary, and St Elizabeth are parishes rich in culture and good-natured people like so many places in Jamaica. We can expect that they have put together top form candidates to compete for the title of parish queen,” he said.

Among selected queens are: Anna Kay Hudson, Miss Kingston and St Andrew; Khamara Wright representing St Catherine; and Chantalle Bryan from St Ann.

Also crowned are Drulissa Grant from St Thomas; Reneise Johnson representing Hanover; and Elieza White from Portland. Westmoreland’s Kimona Roache will be representing the parish at the grand final, while Alecia Byfield was selected to represent Clarendon.

The Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition is a signature programme of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. The programme focuses on leadership, appreciation of the role of women, creative talent and culture, and community involvement and has produced some outstanding queens, who have continued to make a significant contribution to building Brand Jamaica beyond their reign. Some of the more notable past queens include Dr Marsha Barnett, Jennifer “Jenny Jenny” Small, Jacinth Hall-Tracey, Dahlia Harris, Krystal Tomlinson, and Kaysia Johnson.