The third annual Kingston Curry Festival was the perfect blend of delicious cuisine and entertainment for the family. It was held on the lawns of Hope Zoo in St Andrew on Sunday.

“We tried to improve on it in terms of getting more people involved. As I said, Jamaicans have a love affair with curry. So, every time we keep it people keep asking when the next one is going to be, so we just tried to improve it in terms of entertainment and getting as much food vendors as possible, and asking the vendors to be as creative as they can,” Leighton Davis, conceptualiser of the event told the Jamaica Observer.

“We’re the only curry festival in Kingston, and this side of the island, so we’re unique in that regard, for sure,” he continued.

There were multiple food booths serving up meal offerings for carnivores as well as vegans, with the incorporation of curry, of course. Naturally, there were staples like curried chicken, shrimp, duck, rabbit and goat, but there was also curried chickpeas and other creative stews. The family-friendly event also had snacks and beverages that were appealing to children.

There was also a live show which featured saxophonist Verlando Small, emerging gospel act Perry InChrist, comedienne Kathy Grant, and singer Johnmark Wiggan. The show was hosted by comedian and television personality Ity Ellis.

Davis said that next year’s staging is already looking fruitful.

“When we did the first staging we got quite a big turnout, and this is the second one after novel coronavirus pandemic. Some of the sponsors who were there originally are back, like, for instance, Grace, and we’ve had other sponsors who have contacted us from now and said they’d like to be on board for next year. As you can see from the turnout, I’ve run out of tickets twice… I had to ask my supplier to reprint tickets and bands for me. The support is overwhelming,” he told the Observer.