Manchester warms up for big celebrations with float parade
Published:Saturday | July 30, 2022 | 12:08 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Major towns in Manchester were painted in black, green and gold as scores of residents donned the national colours to join the Manchester float parade on Thursday as celebrations kick into gear to mark Emancipation Day and the island’s 60th anniversary of Independence.
The parade, which featured marching bands and Cadet troops, began in New Port Square and snaked its way through nine major towns before culminating in a grand gala featuring gospel, reggae and cultural performances at the Manchester Shopping Centre in parish capital Mandeville.
The parade was held under the Manchester Beliefs, Values and Attitudes initiative, which Manchester Custos Garfield Green said is geared towards building patriotism.
“What we want to do is foster positive values and attitudes in our people, and very importantly, for them to have a sense of patriotism and social responsibility. So ahead of our 60th [Independence anniversary] celebrations next week, we’re having this parade to sensitise our people to be a part of the big celebrations next week,” Green told The Gleaner.
“The aim is to get us to be patriotic and be involved in celebrating Jamaica’s achievements because we have achieved a lot over 60 years, and we should celebrate it,” Green added.
The custos said that the problems affecting the country should not be allowed to dampen the celebration of such a “significant milestone”.
He lauded several sponsors, including Holsum and Pioneer Chocolate, for ensuring the parade was a success.
Jamaica Festival Queen 2021 Dominque Reid, who was crowned Miss Manchester Festival Queen in June last year, was also a part of the celebrations.
She told The Gleaner that she was happy to partake in celebrating Jamaica’s culture, especially in her hometown.
“I feel so excited and proud. I’m patriotic and I can’t wait for Jamaica 60!”
For Reid, the annual Emancipation Day observance is a motivation – a constant reminder that no goal is unattainable with hard work.
“[Emancipation] reminds me that no matter what, I can work hard and achieve it , because my forefathers and my ancestors had done the same, and to remind every Jamaican to keep working hard, keep being you, and continue to wave the flag of Jamaica high,” Reid told The Gleaner.
Joneshia Bryan-Thomas, president of the Adventist arm of the Manchester Youth Federation, said her team was delighted to be a part of the parish’s first float parade in recent memory. She is hoping to return next year with more youths to participate in the celebrations.
The event was spearheaded by the Office of the Custos and the Manchester Justice of the Peace of Jamaica, the Manchester Municipal Corporation, and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission.