The Blue Mountain Coffee Festival usually happens in the hills of Blue Mountain. Usually, patrons enjoy pristine air and cool weather for the event. This year the festival came down to the flat in Kingston. The venue was the historic Devon House lawn and was a huge success.
Hundreds of people poured into Devon House to sample the many forms of coffee. When we spoke with patrons, they expressed the joy of being able to do two things at once. They enjoyed the festival, and they were finally out of the house. Enthusiastic guests filled the venue, and it seemed that all vendor booths had something ready to bless the customers.
We believe that ‘Whatever way you can think of experiencing coffee’ would have made a perfect event title. There was coffee, the drink, the pastry, the sweet, the ice cream, and even the coffee aroma for therapy. These are just a few of the offerings from the 40+ vendors at the event. There was something for everyone.
Blue Mountain Coffee Entertainment
While patrons visited booths, sampled products and services, and picked up some homegrown art and crafts, DJ Delano from Rennaisance Disco kept the vibe going musically. The Queens of good vibes, Terri Karelle and Miss Kitty, kept the consumers involved in the same fashion. Minister Edmund Bartlet graced the stage to welcome everyone to the outside and back to the Jamaica we know. He urged everyone to enjoy themselves out and about but be careful and adhere to the protocols. He also cautioned the attendees to remember that we are not out of the impact of the pandemic yet.
Christopher Martin, Kalyra, and Dwight Richards provided live musical entertainment, keeping everyone rocking and singing along.
Baristas joined in the fun and competed for bragging rights, prizes and trophies. The competition judged how their style of preparing lattes and the taste of the latte. There were also mixologist competitions that made use of the large crowd. Patrons sampled mixed drinks and voted on which drink they loved best.
The children also had their unique place in the festival as it was a family affair. There was a petting ‘farm’ where children handled rabbits, turtles, snakes, and a baby alligator. They also had access to the ‘bounce about’, which became an immediate hit. Cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn and kid-centric toys kept the little ones busy and entertained all day. You could see the joy on their faces as they fan from one station to the next. They also were grateful for being outside and able to play with each other.
The Purpose of the Festival
The festival’s website states that the festival is a “joint initiative by the Tourism Linkages Network and key stakeholders. The 5th staging of the festival continues to embody our culture as we seek to celebrate our homegrown coffee.” Furthermore:
“The festival is designed as Jamaica’s flagship coffee festival, demonstrating our rich tradition of coffee production in the Blue Mountains region and showcases Blue Mountain Coffee, coffee-related products, and the diversity of coffee, and explores the coffee culture in Jamaica, taking the lead from talented baristas and creative culinary artistes.”
https://bluemountaincoffeefest.com/
The world-renowned experience of Blue Mountain Coffee did not disappoint in today’s festival. Everyone had fun, and we all look forward to the next staging of this magnificent event.
