The curtains closed on April 30th with another successful staging of Dominica’s Jazz ‘n Creole. With a tropical ambiance following the ‘rainforest fantasy’ theme, the event attracted approximately 1,800 patrons based on preliminary reports. An attractive lineup catered well to a mixed audience of music lovers through the sounds of Black Violin, Island Jazz Collective, Swingin Stars, Phyllisia Ross, Octeto Kanaima and Signal Band.
This year’s Jazz ‘n Creole ensured that its patrons’ exquisite palettes were fulfilled through ample cuisine options, provided mainly by food vendors of the northern communities. For the second year, the fashion of local designers was highlighted through the Fashion Show. Models sported various styles of Dominica’s local Creole wear, international designs, and ‘rainforesty fantasy’ fashion. Boutik Domnik offered a wide range of local artisan products such as crafts, health and wellness products, and home décor.
Additionally, musical entertainment was provided to patrons while waiting for shuttles and between the main stage performances, providing a new element to showcase local and upcoming artistry. Patrons particlulary enjoyed taking and sharing photos at the rainforest-fantasy-themed backdrop frame located in the shuttle dropoff area. The well-supervised Kids Zone provided a host of family-friendly activities including face painting, basketball hoops, and DIY jewelry beading. For those who preferred to unwind while viewing the festival, the Chill Zone created a relaxing atmosphere with numerous benches and a large screen monitor which carried the event live ensuring nothing was missed.
Growing in popularity since its inception in 2010, plans are currently underway to provide an even better experience for patrons at next year’s festival. Jazz ‘n Creole was presented by the Commonwealth of Dominica’s Government through the Ministry of Tourism and Discover Dominica Authority (DDA). DDA expresses its warmest gratitude to VIP sponsor – HHV Whitchurch & Co. Ltd.; gold sponsor – Belfast Estate and Kubuli; silver sponsors – National Bank of Dominica, Tranquility Beach Resort, Fine Foods, Inc., Pirates Ltd., and National Co-operative Credit Union Ltd.; and business sponsors – Josephine Gabriel & Co. Ltd., Coulibri Ridge, ShopBox Dominica, Arden Sounds, Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI), and Sutton Place Hotel.
