Kingston: Bob Marley, Trench Town, Reggae History, Devon House, and Blue Mountain Coffee
Kingston, the capital of Jamaica and the most culturally significant city in the Caribbean, is the birthplace of reggae and ska music, the home of the Bob Marley museum and Trench Town culture yard, and the gateway to the Blue Mountains coffee plantations and the pirate history of Port Royal.
Kingston Cultural Calendar: Reggae Month, Jamaica Carnival, the Caribbean Literary Heritage, and the Visual Arts Scene
The cultural calendar and creative industries of Kingston span the February Reggae Month birthday celebrations, Jamaica Carnival, the Caribbean literary tradition of the UWI, and the contemporary visual arts and fashion design scene that is expanding the creative economy of the Jamaican capital.
Kingston Nature and History: Port Royal Ruins, Blue Mountain Peak, Maroon Country, and Hellshire Beach
The natural and historical destinations accessible from Kingston include the sunken pirate city of Port Royal, the challenging sunrise hike to the Blue Mountain Peak, the Maroon resistance landscape of the Cockpit Country, and the authentic Jamaican beach food experience at Hellshire.
Kingston Practical Guide: Norman Manley Airport, Cultural Events, New Kingston vs Downtown, and Safety Awareness
The practical guide to Kingston covers the airport and its unusual Palisadoes location, the cultural events calendar from the Marley birthday to Carnival, the contrast between the safe upscale New Kingston and the recovering historic downtown, and the area awareness required for the city.
Kingston Sport: The Sprint Island, Cricket at Sabina Park, the Champs Athletics Championship, and the Reggae Boyz
The sporting culture of Kingston is defined by the extraordinary sprint athletics tradition that has produced Usain Bolt and a generation of world champions, the Caribbean cricket identity of Sabina Park, and the Champs school athletics championship that reproduces the Jamaican sprint tradition in every generation.
Kingston Food: Jerk, the Patty, Ackee and Saltfish, Blue Mountain Coffee, and Jamaican Rum
The food culture of Kingston expresses the Jamaican identity through the jerk technique inherited from the Maroons, the ubiquitous beef patty, the ackee and saltfish national dish, the world-class Blue Mountain coffee, and the heavy-bodied pot still rum tradition of Appleton Estate.
Kingston Music Heritage: Ska, Reggae, Studio One, Rastafari, and the Sound System Culture
The music heritage of Kingston encompasses the complete sequence of Jamaican popular music genres from ska to dancehall, the landmark Studio One recording facility, the Rastafari philosophical tradition that shaped reggae's message, and the sound system culture that influenced global popular music.
Kingston History: Marcus Garvey, Emancipation, National Heroes, the UWI, and Jamaican Independence
The history of Kingston encompasses the Pan-African philosophy of Marcus Garvey, the Emancipation Park monument to post-slavery freedom, the National Heroes who shaped the struggle for independence, and the University of the West Indies that became the intellectual center of the Commonwealth Caribbean.