Set for April 26, J’Ouvert is a new addition to the roster of events that will take place during Yardmas Carnival this year.

The disclosure was made on Sunday during the Yardmas band launch and the unveiling of the eight costumes for its 2025 series.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer post-event, managing director at Yardmas Andrew Bellamy said the decision to include a J’Ouvert was driven by demand.

“Including J’Ouvert was an easy decision for us. For the first two years people have been on our case saying we need to do a J’Ouvert. But for the first two years we have been focusing on getting our overall costume experience on point. Now is the right time to introduce a J’Ouvert; it’s heavily in demand. We have partnered with a team out of Trinidad [One People] and partnered with a team out of New York. At the end of the day, this is a cultural thing, regional integration — the diaspora from the East Coast [in the USA] to the Trinidadians who support us a lot. The fusion for our J’Ouvert is going to be unmatched,” Bellamy explained.

Speaking about the costumes that were revealed at the launch Bellamy said a lot of work and research went into creating the pieces.

“It was a lot of work. We did a lot of research and we took inspiration from Jamaica. We wanted to find the right designers and we found four from Jamaica, and then we have our partnership with Aura out of Barbados, as well as we have a strong designer out of Trinidad who did amazing work. So, combined, we were able to depict and showcase Land We Love [the 2025 theme for Yardmas Carnival] and represent everything that’s good about Jamaica,” Bellamy shared.

The costumes are Lost City, Jewel of the Nile, Swallowtail, Jonkano, Hibiscus, Blue Majesty, Lignum Vitae and Rehgeh.

The other designers include Broadtail Designs, Douglas John, Designs by Dru, Nikitha Cornwall, and Lisa “Annaixe” Guthrie.

Several people who were in attendance at the costume presentation at the Sovereign Cineplex in Liguanea expressed their pleasure at the costumes.

For the past three years Campari has been the title sponsor for Yardmas Carnival.

Candiese Leveridge, media and PR manager at Campari, told the Jamaica Observer: “[T]he partnership has been superb. We find that Yardmas is one of those bands that pushes for cultural expression, for liveliness, for vibrancy and for boldness, and that’s what Campari represents. The Yardmas team has been fantastic, they really are driven by their passion to bring their best experience on the road. And so we find the partnership to be an easy one. They come to us with great ideas and all we have to do is execute.”

She also shared that Campari Boulevard will return this year.

“Of course, we are in talks for Campari Boulevard again this year. The first year, we took over Knutsford Boulevard with an excellent execution. Last year, we were on Trafalgar Road… so the third year, we have to come bigger and better,” said Leveridge.

Senior advisor and strategist in the Ministry of Tourism Delano Seiveright said Carnival continues to rake in big bucks into the country.

“The projection of these costumes and Carnival atmosphere, we’re finding traction on the social media platforms. We’re seeing increased members of the Diaspora, revellers from outside of the country, the hotels are full, the rent-a-car companies are doing great business, the airbnb’s are also doing well, the vendors, the taxi men, the hairdressers, the barbers, make-up people; they all benefit. It filters through the economy in such a fantastic way and it’s something that we continue to encourage and we’re building stronger partnerships with these teams,” Seiveright told the Observer.

He added: “… 2019 was a phenomenal year, more than $4.9 billion in revenue, thousands of participants and in 2024, we were able to match 2019, if not a little better. And then we expect 2025 to be the best Carnival in Jamaica that we’ve ever had in Jamaica. We see the interest, we feel the vibe, and we see the demand from all over the world.”

Shawn Antoine in the Rehgeh costume (Karl Mclarty)

Tashnie Hinds in Rehgeh design by Nikitha Cornwall (Karl Mclarty)

Takiya Browne in Swallowtail costume by Douglas John (Karl Mclarty)

Andrew Bellamy (right) unveils a few of the costumes. (Karl Mclarty)

Attendees at the 2005 launch of the Yardmas events take in the sights. (Karl Mclarty)

The Campari team of Simone Foster, brand experience manager; Shanice Mitchell, brand activator; and Candiese Leveridge, media and PR manager (Karl Mclarty)

Minister of Entertainment and Culture Olivia “Babsy” Grange has Delano Sieveright (left), senior strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, and Yardmas Director Andrew Bellamy in stitches. (Karl Mclarty)