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Winter blues already getting to you? There’s a festival coming to Toronto this month that’ll feel like a one-way ticket to Jamaica, minus the airfare.
Back for its second year, the Jamaica in January festival is a celebration of Jamaican culture that brings a taste of the Caribbean sun to the grey, gloomy Toronto winter.
Organized by Jamaican Eats Magazine, the festival’s inaugural instalment opened to huge success in 2024, organizer Grace Cameron tells blogTO, and this year is expected to be no different.
“Despite bitter cold and predictions of [a] snowstorm, the reception last year was amazing,” Grace says. “We had several hundred people…some started pouring in before the noon start time.”
This year, they’re expecting the same turnout or better, and they’ve made the festival even bigger and better than the last by ramping up all of their programming and welcoming some seriously exciting guests.
There’s no arguing that one of the most popular — and, perhaps, best — facets of Jamaican culture is the food, and Jamaica in January will, fittingly, pay homage to the country’s cuisine in spades.
You can expect to dine on classic dishes like Jerk Chicken, Curry Chicken and Jamaican Fish Soup from Chef Nicholas Douglas, patties from The Original Patty Gyal and sweet treats like Rum Cake and Coconut Passion Cheesecake from Marj Delights.
There’ll also be two food demos, where you can learn how to make the ultimate Rice an’ Peas or truly authentic Jamaican Jerk and, of course, have an ample sample of the stuff at the end.
Perhaps the pinnacle of the event is the Rice an’ Peas showdown, where local cooks representing Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago will go head to head to settle the dispute of who does it best once and for all (or, at least until next year.)
Of course, it’s not only about the food, though.
The whole event kicks off with a drum circle that attendees are invited to participate in, and will also feature popular Jamaican games like Ludo and Dominoes, a songwriting contest, “Jamaican-style” Jeopardy, live music performances and a DJ set in the evening hour by DJ Bruk Out.
The 2025 Jamaican in January festival is taking place on Saturday, Jan. 18, just in time to boost your mood before Blue Monday, from 12 to 9 p.m.
The event is free to attend and open to the public, and you can find more details here.
