South Florida’s biggest plate of Jamaica is served today. The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival takes over Miramar Regional Park in Miramar, Florida, today, Sunday, November 8, from 2 PM to 10 PM, with Christopher Martin and Baby Cham leading the Main Stage Live lineup, according to Maria Jackson 27 Magazine.

The festival, presented by Publix and in association with VP Records, is billed as “The Ultimate Sunday Dinner,” according to Caribbean Riddims. It is a full day of jerk cuisine, live music, culture and family, built on the Jamaican Sunday dinner tradition.

The Stage Today

Christopher Martin headlines with the smooth reggae catalogue that made him a diaspora favourite, including “Cheaters Prayer,” “I’m a Big Deal” and “Paper Loving,” according to Caribbean Riddims.

Baby Cham brings the dancehall energy, and he has already set his terms. “It’s going to be more than a Concert!!” he wrote on Instagram ahead of the Miramar date, promising fans “classics after classics,” according to DancehallMag.

Trinidadian soca favourite Iwer George and Florida based reggae vocalist Sailor Jane complete the live bill, with Walshy Fire of Major Lazer, Richie D and Extatic Sound carrying the music between sets, according to Caribbean Riddims. Bambino, Jody-Ann Gray and Raul Blaze host, according to Maria Jackson 27 Magazine.

Why Miramar Is the Right Ground

Miramar is not a random stop. Broward County is home to one of the largest Jamaican communities in the United States, according to DancehallMag, and the festival has grown into one of South Florida’s signature Caribbean celebrations, drawing the diaspora and the wider community to the same park, according to Caribbean Riddims.

Beyond the stage, the day carries a food court of jerk offerings, cook off demonstrations, a culture corner and family zones, in the festival’s long running format. Food, music and family in one place is the formula, and it is the closest thing to a Sunday at home for thousands of Jamaicans building life in Florida.

If you are in South Florida today, the park is the address. If you are watching from yard or from colder ground, this is your people, eating and singing together under the Florida sun.

Nation, what is your ultimate Sunday dinner plate, and which artist on today’s stage would you stay to the very end to see?

Photo: Christopher Martin performing live. Photo: Bruno Verwimp, via Wikimedia Commons