Kingston Art District

Kingston is renowned for its creativity and in particular its musical heritage. Kingston is the hometown of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Toots & the Maytals and Lee “Scratch” Perry. The city has created six distinct musical genres: reggae, mento, ska, rocksteady, dub and dancehall. In 2015, Kingston was declared a UNESCO Creative City of Music, focusing attention on the city’s art and culture.

Kingston Creatives goal is to nurture artists, regenerate the urban environment and catalyze growth in complementary areas like commerce and entertainment. The city possesses of physical and cultural assets including the architecture, a vibrant culture, museums and institutions like the National Gallery, the Ward Theatre and the Music Museum.

Since early 2017, Kingston Creative has engaged stakeholders in the community, government, academia, and the private sector around the vision of a truly creative Kingston. Kingston Creative believes that Kingston is the creative capital of the Caribbean and, over the next 5-10 years, aims to create an Art District and a Hub for creative entrepreneurs.

Kingston Creative is responsible for the following monthly events: the Artwalk, a walking tour of art in the city; the Meetup, a networking event for creatives; and Market Street, a makers’ market for local artisans. The Mural Project and Creative Hub will soon be underway and this combination of cultural programmes have brought a new audience into the city and enabled a re-branding of Downtown Kingston’s cultural identity; framing a narrative around art and culture and embracing its historic significance.