Jamaican Culture to be Featured at Ifest 2007

Patrons will get a chance to get up close and personal with Jamaican music, culture and cuisine this weekend at the 2007 Houston International Festival (Ifest) in Texas. Returning to the event after a two year absence, Brand Jamaica will be a featured entertainment zone at the festival, which opens in the bustling downtown Houston metropolis in the area of Bagby Street, the Upper and Lower Sam Houston Parks, Tranquility Park and Allen Parkway, for four days. The festival will be spread over two weekends, April 20 to 22 and April 27 to 29, 2007 beginning at 1:00 p.m. each day. Managed by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the Jamaica zone will showcase the very best of the island’s eclectic culture in entertainment and cuisine. Patrons will get a first hand, close up of Port Royal complete with a pirate ship, costumed pirates, a pirate stilt walker and oversized pirate puppets. They will also have the opportunity to book their next vacation in Jamaica at one of the many JTB information booths, as well as enjoy non-stop reggae rhythms, and visit the ‘Gypsy Market’ for a sampling of premium art and craft items or, explore the world of the great reggae icon Bob Marley at the one of a kind Bob Marley and Rastafari Exhibit booth.
Established in 1971 as a small arts happening, the festival has grown into a multi-cultural spectacle, attracting in excess of one million patrons. To better celebrate Houston’s emergence as an international city – the fourth largest in the United States – the celebration became the Houston International Festival in 1987.
The event’s ‘international’ spotlight will this year shine on the Republic of China. Jamaica was the featured country last year following its debut appearance as part of the Caribbean consortium in 1998.