KINGSTON College (KC) will place the icing on its 100th anniversary celebrations with an awards banquet on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 which, the organisers say, will be “filled with nostalgia, celebration, and camaraderie”.

The Centenary Purple Tie Gala Awards Banquet is scheduled for 7:00 pm at Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, marking the actual anniversary of the famous all-boys’ school’s founding 100 years ago.

“As we reminisce about the good old days we will also take the time to recognise the remarkable achievements of our alumnus in all disciplines, including the impact of the students and graduates on Jamaica and, by extension, the world,” Wayne Robertson, chairman of Kingston College Centenary Communications, said in a news release.

“The event will feature inspiring speeches, memorable performances, and the presentation of awards to those who have exemplified the values and ethos of Kingston College,” Robertson added.

The banquet will cap a week of celebratory activities, starting with a Centenary Palm Sunday Service at St Augustine’s Chapel at the school’s North Street campus on Sunday, April 13, commencing at 11:00 am.

On Monday, April 14, a float parade through Kingston is scheduled to begin at 9:00 am, during which the school will accept the Key to the City of Kingston at the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation. Additionally, the KC plaque, marking the original location of the school at East Street, will be blessed.

On Tuesday, April 15 at 10:00 am, a wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the graves of Bishop Percival Gibson and Douglas Forrest, KC’s first and second principals, respectively, at the St Andrew Parish Church cemetery.

The following day, at 10:00 am, the KC Centenary Commemorative Stamp Collection will be revealed at St Augustine’s Chapel.

KC officially launched its centenary celebrations on November 30, 2023, announcing plans to construct a multi-purpose, state-of-the-art auditorium and a drive to raise $1 billion that will be used to build that facility and fund other legacy projects.

The centenary festivities are being held under the theme ‘Kingston College: 100 years never yielding’, playing on the school’s motto — Fortis cadere cedere non potest, which translates in English to: ‘The brave may fall but never yield’.

A logo to mark the celebrations has been created and is featured on souvenir items.

At the launch, architect Douglas Stiebel explained that the auditorium will be able to accommodate up to 5,000 people in assembly.

“It is a building which is being designed to be very multi-purpose because we all understand that the needs of the school are many and the needs for spaces are many. The whole idea of the building is that it will be able to, first and foremost, house the school, house all of the activities in terms of assembly, prize-givings [and] public functions, but it must also be able to act as a gymnasium, so indoor basketball courts and other multi-purpose courts will also feature as a part of it,” he explained.