For many Jamaicans, Reggae Sumfest is more than a celebration of music. It is an opportunity to earn.

That hope was dampened for several vendors on Saturday evening after law enforcement officers instructed them to remove their stalls from outside the gates of Plantation Cove, where a no-vending zone had been established for the festival.

The operation left many visibly upset, with some fighting back tears as they dismantled makeshift kitchens and packed away pots of soup, jerk chicken and other food items they had spent hours — and in some cases days — preparing.

Cops watch as a vendor moves his jerk pan from outside Plantation Cove in St Ann where Reggae Sumfest is being staged this year. (Photo by Garfield Robinson)

“I know the police are only doing their job,” one vendor told Observer Online. “But a wi a hustle too. We have children to feed.”

The sentiment echoed among several others, many of whom said they had travelled from communities across Jamaica, hoping to capitalise on one of the island’s largest entertainment events.

By the time cops arrived, they said, the food was already cooked, the charcoal had been lit and business was expected to begin as thousands of patrons streamed towards the venue.

Instead, they were forced to pack up.

“We set up early this morning, after 6:00 am and we were on the side where there were no signs saying we can’t sell there. Everything was going good until an officer got a call from a commissioner I believe, telling us we have to move from this side as well so a lot of vendors have left,” said Melissa Green.

For vendors whose livelihoods often depend on major events, the losses represented more than unsold meals. They represented money borrowed, savings spent and expectations suddenly cut short.

Yet festival organisers had outlined vending arrangements ahead of the event.

Persons wishing to sell at Reggae Sumfest were invited in advance to secure authorised vending spaces inside the festival grounds, where approved vendors paid the required fees and were allocated designated stalls.

The restrictions outside the venue formed part of the festival’s operational plan, which also included enhanced traffic management and public safety measures designed to keep pedestrian access routes clear and ensure emergency vehicles could move freely if needed.

Still, that reality did little to ease the disappointment etched across the faces of those loading coolers, folding tables and cooking equipment back onto trucks.