ST JAMES, Jamaica— Organisers of the 2022 staging of the Jamaica Rum Festival (JRF) presented by Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum, in partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) have advised that the event will now be taking place at The Aqueduct, Rose Hall in Montego Bay.

Initially set to take place at Harmony Beach Park in the western city, the JRF team explains that the decision to switch to an alternate venue comes as a strategic move to deliver the best physical experience for rum lovers.

“In the past, the Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Edmund Bartlett has referred to the Jamaica Rum Festival as a ‘tourism product’. Knowing the hard work we pour into this event each year to present our rich rum history to Jamaicans and foreigners, we are looking to overdeliver an immersive and explosive edutainment experience for patrons,” said Festival Director, Valon Thorpe.

“The Aqueduct has presented us with an opportunity to do that and then some. We’re excited about this new venue and are confident that once patrons immerse themselves in the 2022 JRF experience, they will be just as excited if not more,” he added.

Also looking forward to this, the fourth staging of JRF is Pietro Gramegna, Director of Marketing at J Wray & Nephew Limited.

“This is our first physical staging of the event since the Covid-19 global pandemic, so we are certainly looking forward to making a statement. The Aqueduct, we believe, is the ideal location to adequately showcase just how much this expansive festival has to offer,” he said.

The 2022 staging is slated to have interactive seminars, demonstrations, culturally immersive activities, Jamaican gastronomy, and phenomenal live entertainment from the likes of Capleton, Sanchez, Romaine Virgo, Tessanne Chin and more.

A suite of culturally immersive activities will also be featured during the festival, giving locals and tourists alike, a deeper appreciation of Jamaican heritage and culture, JRF said.