Jamaica will celebrate 63 years of Independence on Wednesday at the National Stadium in Kingston with the annual Grand Gala, under the theme ‘Be Proud, Be Bold, in Black, Green and Gold’.

The event is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport through the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).

Portfolio Minister Oliva Grange told JIS News that the celebration will involve some 2,500 participants, including several uniformed groups and dancers.

“[They] have been trained over the last few weeks to participate, drawn from communities in Kingston and St Andrew and the plains of St Catherine, colourful costumes and very powerful and patriotic messages being conveyed through their performances,” she said.

“You can imagine the beauty. All the colours, the lighting, the spectacular performances set on our new running track of black, green and gold, that’s really going to be a spectacle,” Grange added.

The show—whose artistic director is Michael Holgate—will also feature a special highlight section on the inscription of Port Royal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “We’re going to have a fantastic segment on the inscription of the sunken city of Port Royal which will be dramatised… that experience of the earthquake and the rich history of Port Royal, which was once called the ‘wickedest city on earth’,” she noted.

Segments of the Grand Gala will also celebrate reggae music, most notably with the presentation of this year’s Reggae Icon award recipients.

“We will be recognising three of our outstanding, internationally established reggae artistes—Leroy Sibbles, Capleton, and Beres Hammond. They will be given the Reggae Icon award by the prime minister,” Grange informed.

“You know that a celebration cannot be complete without gospel. So, there’s a gospel segment, which will feature Kevin Downswell, Petra Kaye and Rondell Positive, and that is expected to be quite a very exciting segment… and of course, we will wrap the celebrations with a fantastic reggae concert with Luciano and Chris Martin, and we will also have fireworks, not just in the national stadium, but also in the parish capitals so this year is going to be bigger and better,” she added.

A favourite of the Grand Gala celebrations, the drone show, will also make a return at this year’s event.

“This is a time when we must reflect on where we are coming from. We must assess where we are, and we look forward to where we are going to go, and Jamaicans must be thankful for this little rock of ours that we have achieved so much, and in good times and in bad times we have been able to rally people, and no matter what, we always celebrate Jamaica,” the minister said.

Tickets for the Grand Gala are available to the public for free at select Kingston Bookshops and Sangster’s Bookstores, Mother’s locations in Kingston and St Catherine, as well as the Liguanea Drug and Garden Centre in St Andrew.