BY RUSHANE FERRON
One crown, thirteen parish Queens, and a night to remember – The 2024 Miss Jamaica Festival Queen will be crowned on Saturday, August 3rd, 2024, at the National Indoor Sports Centre. This is one of the major events of the annual Independence Festival celebrations to commemorate Jamaica’s 62nd anniversary of political independence.
The stage will be set, the lights will be bright, and the excitement will be palpable at the National Arena in St. Andrew on Saturday night as the competition will bring together the best and brightest of Jamaica’s young women. With thirteen parish queens vying for the prestigious and coveted crown, the event will be a spectacular showcase of beauty, talent, and cultural pride.
The competition, organized by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), is a celebration of Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage and the incredible talents of its young women. Each contestant will bring a unique blend of intelligence, charm, and cultural awareness to the stage under the theme: “The Jamaican Woman, Creativity Beyond Boundaries.”
The evening will kick start with the introductory segment, where each queen will tell the audience the parish she is representing along with a fun-fact about herself. This will be followed by the talent segment, where the queens will impress the audience and judges with their extraordinary abilities with a: song, dance, or spoken word.
The evening wear segment will highlight a touch of glamour to the competition. The queens will grace the stage in stunning gowns reflecting their elegance and sophistication. They will glide across the stage as the judges will assess not only their appearance, but also their poise and confidence.
The sectional awards will be presented for various categories such as: Most Congenial, Most Active in the Community, Most Poise, Most Culturally Aware, Most Popular on Social Media, Best Gown and Best Performance. Shortly after, the judging panel will make the selection of the top five queens who will then advance to the question-and-answer segment of the competition.
The final segment of the night will be the question-and-answer round, which will provide the contestants with the opportunity to articulate their visions for Jamaica’s future. From the top five selections, the top three will be crowned – the 2024 Miss Jamaica Festival Queen, the first and second runner up respectively.
The contestants are Miss Hanover- Sornia Samuel, Miss St. Elizabeth- Omoloro Wilson, Miss St. Thomas- Stephena Edwards, Miss St. Ann- Onecia Henry, Miss Portland- Tamesha Wilson, Miss Clarendon- Jenicia Jones, Miss Manchester- Shonnoya Houston, Miss Trelawny- Renata Hunt, Miss St. Mary- Shamoya Bailey, Miss Kingston & St. Andrew- Daindra Harrison, Miss Westmoreland- Sherona Small, Miss St. James- Toni-Shea Grey and Miss St. Catherine- Shahida Grant.
The JCDC in partnership with the Red Cross will collect monetary donations to aid with the St. Elizabeth recovery process.
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