After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carnival in Jamaica will make a welcome July return, notably without the participation of carnival band Xaymaca.

In a release last evening (March 29), The Carnival in Jamaica (CIJ) National Stakeholders Committee noted it “is pleased to announce that the carnival festival season for 2022 is set to begin on Friday, July 1, culminating with the grand road parade on July 10 in Kingston.”

With a final date for the return of Jamaica Carnival now set, Kamal Bankay, co-chair of the Stakeholders Committee, shared that it is a welcome announcement for the entertainment industry which suffered significant losses due to the pandemic.

“We are beyond happy to be able to announce, plan and execute another amazing carnival season for all the CIJ revellers we have missed since 2019,” said Bankay in a statement.

He added: “Several bands and fetes are starting to make their own special preparations for this season to ensure that the first summer staging of carnival will be one of the best yet.”

While various carnival stakeholders are moving full force ahead in preparation for a summer carnival return, carnival band Xaymaca, on Tuesday (March 29) informed that they would forgo participation in this year’s staging.

According to a media release from the band, the decision to forgo participation in the July carnival season was “in an effort not to disrupt the original schedules of our sister carnivals within the region”.

Given this, Xaymaca informed that it would not host any of its flagship or associated events within the period and would not participate in the Road March on July 10.

Xaymaca’s decision not to participate in the season aside, Lenford Salmon, co-chair of the Stakeholders Committee disclosed: “The Carnival season is one of the largest employers of people within the creative sector annually. Hosting the season this summer will jump start the economic recovery of our sector and the practitioners who depend on it for everything.”

A calendar of events for the adjusted 2022 carnival season is expected to be released in short order.

READ: ‘The wait is over’: Xodus confirms summer return of Jamaica Carnival