Much to the dismay of diehard soca fans, the Bacchanal Jamaica team today (July 19) announced its decision to delay the resumption of its events series to October/November 2021.

In a statement released via Instagram, the group acknowledged that its Bacchanal family has eagerly awaited the plans for its resumption of activities.

Noting that “Bacchanal Jamaica has had a long and successful legacy of promoting events of the highest quality and reputation in Jamaica”, the group highlighted that “the past 18 months have been very difficult for the world, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the entertainment industry has been especially hard hit”.

Referencing the “recent announcement by the Jamaican Government, regarding the re-opening of the entertainment sector in Jamaica and the easing of restrictions (which) have been received with great appreciation by industry players”, the group emphasised its knowledge “of the continued threat to the health of our population due to the continued presence of COVID-19”.

Given this, the release noted: “Bacchanal Jamaica has taken into consideration the following factors in arriving at the projected re-start of our events.

1. The continued threat of the COVID-19 virus.
2. The extremely low rate of vaccinations in Jamaica.
3. The unavailability of large numbers of doses of the vaccine in Jamaica until late Summer 2021.
4. The perceived challenges of maintaining COVID-19 protocols at events in Jamaica.
5. The threat of a spike in COVID-19 cases due to the above with increased face-to-face gatherings.
6. The threat of the more virulent mutation of the virus known as the “Delta Variant”.

“It is with these factors in mind that Bacchanal Jamaica has decided to re-start our much loved and missed series of events in October/November 2021, continuing into the Bacchanal Jamaica Carnival season culminating in April 2022.”

The statement closed: “We wish all our patrons and citizens at large a safe and enjoyable Summer, and hope that we will all be able to party together again very soon.”