We Need to Talk about Food Festivals

We’re all Wonga people here, so in theory, a food festival should be a haven for those who aren’t shy about their adoration of food. So why does it feel like once you’ve been to a food festival in Jamaica…you’ve been to them all?

Standing in the middle of Palm Drive, Hope Gardens under the blazing summer sun, I experienced some intense déjà vu at Grace Food Festival 2025 (GFF). As I inhaled the familiar fragrance of smoky outdoor cooking, it was immediately apparent that many things were…familiar. The format was the same; the offerings were the same—everything felt the same.

Food is one of our most creative art forms. The shapes, colours, textures, aromas and varieties make way for culinary alchemy. Even the vessels they are presented on tantalize us before utensils brush past our lips. Mix and match cultural references for near endless foodie fusions. Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me or having too high standards for events like this in Jamaica, but I expected this celebration and experimentation to be the focal point of food festivals.

Grace manufactures many of the nostalgic flavours of Jamaica, which makes their food festival a great activity for Jamaicans of any generation. Samples of new and classic products; a wholesale tent for back-to-school stocking up; and a big stage show headlined by Ding Dong and the Ravas. It’s a formula for a good time (or a Good Move as the GK marketing team might say) but it’s almost too formulaic to continue being fresh and fun.

Having familiar vendors is…fine. At the very least understandable. People look forward to seeing their favourite restaurants outside of their brick and mortar perches. But why does the food have to be the SAME? Unless there’s a rule that states restaurants must only serve their exact menu items—I can’t accept the lack of versatility with food offerings.

I didn’t leave with a single recipe card and products weren’t prepared in innovative ways for me to taste then bring to my kitchen. Vendors didn’t show us how they utilize Grace products in their menus. Maybe it was a user error situation where my group and I didn’t Dora Explorer enough around the festival grounds for the best experience. Either way it all felt quite disjointed.

Not to pit two queens against each other, but Jamaica Food and Drink Festival (JFDF) instilled some serious FOMO when I still lived in New York. Patrons always seemed to understand the assignment, dressing all the way up to chow down on some delectable—and often innovative—dishes. The price point is much higher than GFF for the grand events such as Decade, Kuya and Brunch, but I did have the chance to experience a comparable event in Meet Street & The Market.

Meet Street is held at the Port Royal Naval Yard which is such a unique location for a festival and night market. Vendors were scattered in every direction, seriously enabling that Dora Explorer energy from my group. The space was used to let creativity thrive. I still think about the Parisian sidewalk cafe booth that Häagen-Dazs used to promote their macaron flavour ice-cream. There’s more of an emphasis on immersion. We learned the fundamentals of brewing coffee with a French Press —what the aromas, colours and froth indicated at each step. Food wasn’t included but we were more willing to taste and buy.

Zooming out, the treatment of these festivals is indicative of Jamaica’s current entertainment climate: exciting, new and memorable experiences come at the sacrifice of your hard earned dollars. Whether it’s an expo, festival or party, your options are to spend $30,000 for a one-night affair with luxury, or get a platter of disappointment at a more affordable event. No matter the price point, everyone deserves an event that feels thoughtful, creative, and worth the money.

Many Jamaicans were thrust into a position of choosing survival over enjoyment this holiday season. As promoters contemplate the future of events in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, it’s more important than ever that patrons get value for their money if they do choose enjoyment.

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