The Jamaica Observer’s Entertainment Desk continues with the 58th of its biweekly feature looking at seminal moments that have helped shape Jamaica over the past 60 years.

Though carnival originated in the Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica’s edition has become a staple over the years — bringing thousands to the island with each staging.

Michael Ammar Jr, co-director of Bacchanal Jamaica, says that the Jamaican experience is like none other.

“At the beginning, it was 95 per cent locals in the costume sections. As it grew, it became more of a spectacle and more of a world-class production. All of a sudden, people noticed Jamaica’s carnival product. When things split and Bacchanal, Xodus and Xaymaca were former, we really had that nucleus to make it the best. No other island in the Caribbean can beat us when it comes to value for money because the costumes are more affordable, the hotels are nicer…When you come to Jamaica, you get more. I love going to Trinidad for Jamaica Carnival, but Jamaica carnival is a different thing. Our food, beaches, mountains…there’s just so much more,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Carnival began at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus in the 1950s, as local students — having been influenced by their Eastern Caribbean classmates — engaged in the festivities. This engagement became known as the “UWI Carnival”, an annual event which still exists today. Carnival, however, was not seriously established on the island, until the late Byron Lee decided to establish it as a formal event in 1990.

Lee was inspired by Ammar Jr alongside Ricky Mahfood and George Hugh who formed the Oakridge Boys and had introduced a small-scale carnival celebration just one year prior. The idea was birthed after the men were forced to remain in Jamaica in 1989 due to political strife and one of the most brutal natural disasters Jamaica had ever seen.

“We brought carnival to Jamaica 1989 and Jamaica Carnival saw what we did and decided to do it larger. We started as Oakridge Carnival and because the Government had called an election for carnival week, in those days every time there was an election there was a war. Having just came out of [Hurricane] Gilbert [in 1988], we decided that we weren’t going to leave Jamaica that year and go to Trinidad for carnival. It sounded like a far-fetched idea but once the three of us looked at it, we decided that it could work. We got more friends together and pitched it to them and they said they would participate. At the time there was a thing called Orange Carnival and we spoke to them through a gentleman called Garth Moodie, and came up with an agreement to go to Orange Carnival at the end of the Road March…so that would’ve been the official after party. We started at Manor Park and ended up at Hillel Academy. In that first year, there was only about 350 people,” Ammar Jr detailed.

In an interview with the Observer at the 2019 Road March festivities, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett revealed that it was the most successful in the history of Jamaica Carnival. On average, around 30,000 tourists visit the island each year to celebrate.

Ammar Jr says carnival has boosted not just the economy, but the social lives of all those who participate.

“It was a huge plus because it put entertainment in a period that had no entertainment. The only thing between Christmas and Easter was Valentine’s Day so it gave the young people something to do. All the sound companies and bar companies had nothing to do during that time as well. When Byron Lee started Jamaica Carnival, it blew up and Oakridge blew up along with it. Although it was smaller in comparison to Jamaica Carnival, it was a premium event,” he said.

Alongside Jamaica Carnival, there are side bar events such as Downtown Carnival, Ocho Rios Carnival and St Thomas Carnival.