photo by steed media service

CEO, Metro Caribbean Media Group

From food to music, Caribbean culture is a major contributor to the spice of Atlanta. With there being such a large population of people who hail from Caribbean countries residing in the metro area, Jamaica native Glen Simmonds felt the need to organize a festival that would celebrate and unify the community.

"The festival focuses on Caribbean culture and cuisine. The main emphasis was to have an avenue to showcase things Caribbean. [We] also [wanted] to have a signature event in metro Atlanta that people of Caribbean heritage - or people who enjoy Caribbean culture - can come to," says Simmonds, the CEO of the Metro Caribbean Media Group. An Atlanta resident for 21 years, Simmonds plans to celebrate the second annual Atlanta Caribbean Jerk Festival this Labor Day weekend. Slated for September 2 at Panthersville Stadium, the event will be a fun filled experience for people of all ages. Partnered with the American Cross and Air Jamaica, the festival will feature food, live music, blood drives, and a Jerk cooking competition where the winner will be flown to Miami to compete in their annual Jerk Festival.

"Last year we did the festival; we had over 1,000 people. This year we've put more time and effort into it. We've acquired more partners in our effort to promote the event, so we're feeling very optimistic about the outcome," says Simmonds.- jason thompson
For more information, log onto www.atlantajerkfestival.com.

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