By:Brittany Somerset, Intrepid Reporter
MIAMI – For 16 years, one of South Florida’s longest running festivals is still going strong and feeding the hungry. The 16th Annual Caribbean Festival is a day long celebration of music, arts, and crafts honoring the life and philosophy of the legendary reggae star, Bob Marley.
The festival will be held at Miami’s Bayfront Park
301 Biscayne Blvd. Downtown Miami on Saturday, February 28th, 2009.
This year it also honors the memory of Cedella Marley Booker, the mother of Bob Marley who passed away last year. It was her spirit and energy that lived in the festival and it will continue to be felt in those whose lives she touched. The festival will continue to spread the message of her and her son to help those who are less fortunate.
The Caribbean Festival has always carried a humanitarian message within its musical one. From the very beginning, a donation of canned goods to feed those in need has been an integral part of every festival. To date, the Bob Marley Movement of Jah People has collected more than two million cans of food for distribution to the less fortunate. This year, the non-profit group Farm Share will collect the cans from the festival and distribute them to those in need.
The Caribbean Festival is one of the most successful and longest running music festivals in all of South Florida. People every year mark their calendars and travel from around the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean to attend the event. The festival reaches across all aspects of the community who come together in peace and harmony.
The festival features some of the top musical acts in the world as well as popular local performers. The Marley Boys, Stephen, Damian, Julian, and Kymani, will headline what always promises to be South Florida’s finest reggae and Caribbean music showcase.
The festival shares a humanitarian calling that over the years some of the most popular performing acts in the world have answered. From Lauryn Hill, Carlos Santana, Hootie and the Blowfish, Erykah Badu, India Arie, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, and Bob Marley’s own mother Cedella Marley Booker, to reggae legends such as Bunny Wailer, Toots and the Maytals, Steel Pulse, Burning Spear, Maxi Priest and many more have graced the Caribbean Fest stage to help those in need as well as entertain the crowds. Additionally, many national and international sponsors have also lent their support to the festival, making it truly a global event.
The festival is presented by Bob Marley Movement of Jah People, 103.5 The Beat and Rum Bum.
