Highlighting Jamaica’s potential to become the world’s festival capital, the organisers of the upcoming Coveside Concert series hope to make a big impact on the live entertainment scene over the next few months.

A collaboration between cultural and technical practitioners in the creative industry, the Coveside Concert series is set to get underway on February 22 at Grizzly’s Plantation Cove in St Ann with a show dubbed One Drop. One Drop, which also happens to fall during the Reggae Month festivities, will showcase some of the best talents Jamaica has to offer.

With established saxophonist Dean Fraser at the helm of the show’s musical direction, the event is expected to deliver world-class entertainment with performances from reggae icons such as Barrington Levy and Luciano. And with both headline acts having been named among the Rolling Stone 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, sponsors say the show will be an unforgettable display of talent.

Barrington Levy .

“Having gone to a few of the Coveside Concerts in 2024, I was quite impressed with the production and so I’m pleased to be a part of the series yet again and I do hope this year we will see a lot more support,” said Regional Director of the Jamaica Tourist Board, Odette Dyer. “I am delighted to witness how Coveside continues to evolve into a premier entertainment series that exemplifies the seamless fusion of our tourism and cultural sectors. This initiative perfectly embodies what we at the JTB know to be true — Jamaica’s greatest tourism asset is our vibrant culture and the creative genius of our people.”

Outlining that when visitors choose Jamaica as their vacation destination, they do so to soak in more than the sun, sand and sea, Dyer said visitors crave authentic cultural experiences that are uniquely presented through festivals such as the Coveside Concert series.

“They come for these experiences because they cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. The 2025 Coveside Concert series will deliver exactly what these visitors seek. It will be a masterful showcase of our musical evolution. From the pioneering sounds of Rocksteady with Cordell Campbell to the soul-stirring reggae of Barrington Levy and Luciano paired with the jazz sophistication of Myrna Hague and many others.”

Luciano

Following on the heels of One Drop will be the second concert in the series. Dubbed Timeless, the event is scheduled for March 29 and will feature internationally renowned singer Dionne Warwick. Aside from the classics to be spewed by Warwick, Timeless will also see performances from Duane Stephenson and Queen of Reggae, Marcia Griffiths.

Steady Rock and a food-inclusive beach party, dubbed Memories on the Beach are set to be held on April 26 and May 31 respectively. Steady Rock pays homage to genre lovers’ rock and rocksteady and will feature performances from Etana, Glenn Washington, Leroy Sibbles and Cornell Campbell.

Echoing the sentiments shared by Dyer, Chairman of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association, Ewan Simpson said Jamaica is set to benefit significantly from the creative industries, particularly entertainment in the future.

Marcia Griffiths (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

“It is important that we are launching this just ahead of Reggae Month because we’re celebrating the ecosystem that makes Jamaica great. The activation of Jamaican culture is going to be the salvation of this rock,” he said. “Lover’s Rock, Rocksteady, Reggae, Mento, Ska, Dancehall; they are moving elements of what the world recognizes as Jamaican and so I applaud the sponsors of this event because you are appreciating that Jamaican culture is what people come to Jamaica to enjoy,” he said.

“When Jamaica becomes the festival capital of the world, three million tourists will be a joke. We will need to have ten cruise ships per pier across the island for monthly concerts,” he continued. “That is what we’re moving towards steadily on this rock.”

Deanroy Bernard, Permanent Secretary with responsibility for Entertainment, Culture and Special Projects in the Ministry of Culture, also agreed indicating that an investment in Jamaica’s entertainment sector is an investment in the “heart and soul of a nation.”

Coveside Concerts tickets are available at FESCO service stations and online at coveside.aitix.com.
Gates to the venue open at 5:00 pm and showtime is at 7:00 pm.
– Shereita Grizzle