Jamaican culture is colorful, dynamic, and vibrant – everything you want in a party. A spread of Jamaican food and refreshing drinks, with everyone vibing to dancehall music, is definitely irie.
Is a birthday coming up? Try a Jamaican-themed party. Here are a few ideas to help you make it happen:
1. Venue
You have two choices: Have it at home or hold it elsewhere.
The second option is better because, hey, no cleanup! You also don’t have to deal with disturbance and noise complaints. Be a good neighbor, and don’t tire yourself out cleaning and prepping and cleaning up again when the party’s over and done. Hold your party somewhere else.
The question now is: Where? You have two options: a function hall or a Jamaican restaurant. This is a no-brainer. Book that restaurant.
Holding your party at a Jamaican restaurant is not only on-theme. It’s practical, too.
You don’t have to do too much to turn the place into a Jamaican-themed venue. The place would already have Jamaican décor, which you can enhance or complement for your party.
More importantly, you know you’ll get Jamaican food, too. No need to look up a caterer that serves good Jamaican food. The Jamaican restaurant chef is right there, and he has an entire staff of cooks and servers who know their stuff.
You and your friends will feast on excellent Jamaican fare if you choose your Jamaican restaurant well. All that’s left for you to do is plan your menu, tell the restaurant your preferred food service timings, and enjoy your party with your guests. You won’t have to spend time cooking and cleaning the kitchen at all.
2. Theme and Décor
How do you make your venue distinctly Jamaican? You won’t need to do too much if you’re having a party in a Jamaican restaurant.
A Rastafarian color scheme of red, green, and gold? Check! How about the Jamaican flag? It’s probably already on a focus wall. Pictures of Bob Marley? The restaurant must already have them, along with murals depicting sand, sea, coconut trees, and other tropical scenery.
Trivia: Did you know you must not make and fly Jamaican flags for purely decorative purposes or put the Jamaican flag on anything that will be used only temporarily and then discarded right after? The only exception is state occasions. Holding your party at a Jamaican restaurant means you won’t have to make decorative Jamaican flags and banners that will violate Jamaican laws.
You can, however, always add more decorations to amp up the Jamaican theme factor and visual impact. Here are a few decoration ideas you can try:
- Hang green, black, and yellow drapery from the ceiling to the floor. Gather the three pieces of fabric to one side and bunch up at the bottom. Do these in a series to frame the entryway. You may also use a variation to decorate and add color and privacy to outdoor patios.
- Decorate the space with paper fans, balls, ribbons, and garlands in Jamaican and Rastafarian colors. For instance, you can attach green, black, and yellow fans of different sizes to the walls.
- Choose table linen in Jamaican flag colors, and use centerpieces of tropical fruits, coconuts, and rum bottles.
- Decorate with arrangements of tropical flowers like hibiscus and bougainvillea.
- Install beach-themed areas with sand, palm trees, and beach chairs. You can turn that into a place where guests can have their pictures taken by a professional photographer you’ve hired for the occasion.
- Use frames on easels to display posters of famous Reggae musicians or Jamaican landscapes.
- If your party is from dusk to evening, hang fairy lights or paper lanterns in Jamaican flag and Rastafarian colors to give the place a warm ambiance.
3. Food and Drinks
Make sure to plan your menu with care. While you want food most representative of Jamaican cuisine, you can’t just put dishes together. Make sure your combinations work.
This is one benefit of holding your party at a Jamaican restaurant. You can have expert guidance when crafting your menu.
The following is a sample Jamaican food menu. It combines classic Jamaican flavors with party-friendly dishes that cater to various dietary preferences.
Starters
Jamaican Patties
Caribbean Pepper Shrimps
Patty Crust Nachos
Mains
Spitfire Jerk Chicken
Oxtail & Beans
Curry Goat
Jerk Fried Rice
Seafood
Seabass Rundown
Ackee and Saltfish
Vegetarian
Rasta Pasta
Jerk Eggplant Risotto
Curry Veg
Sides
Rice N’ Peas
Plantain Chips
Coleslaw
Dessert
Crunky Monkey
Sweet Potato Pudding
Hummingbird Cake (this could be your birthday cake)
Beverages
Young coconut water
Jamaican rum punch
Selection of tropical juices
Feel free to create your own menu. Better yet, let your Jamaican restaurant chef guide your choices.
4. Music and Entertainment
Ska, rock steady, reggae, dub, and dancehall represent the beat and rhythm indigenous to Jamaica. No Jamaica-themed party would be complete without you and your guests dancing and grooving to Jamaican music.
- Ska: Ska, an onomatopoeia of the sound of a guitar chop on the offbeat, is upbeat urban pop indigenous to Jamaica. It was played in 1950s mobile discos and combined American rhythm and blues with Caribbean folk influences.
- Rock steady: Rock steady is ska but with a significantly slower tempo.
- Reggae: Reggae is popular music characterized by a fast bass guitar-driven beat and highly politicized lyrics.
- Dub: A dub is a rhythmic instrumental track, a combination of drums and a bass guitar.
- Dancehall: Dancehall music features a deejay toasting over dub music. Toasting – called rapping in other parts of the Anglo-Caribbean world – is talking in a melodic monotone over or under the rhythm of the instrumental music (i.e., dub).
You can get a disc jockey for some toasting and rapping. Of course, since there will be some very upbeat music that is excellent for dancing, you can hire a choreographer to teach you and your friends some dancehall dance moves. It can be a fabulous dance party!
Alternatively, you can invite a band to play some popular reggae music. You and your friends can have a wonderfully chill time, chatting over lovely Jamaican food and maybe even singing along to Bob Marley hits like “Jamming,” “Is This Love,” “One Love,” “Natural Mystic,” and “Three Little Birds.”
Jamaican Party Fun
A Jamaican party theme is a wonderful idea. Book a Jamaican restaurant, add some Jamaican decorations, serve Jamaican food, and enjoy Jamaican music and entertainment. That’s a recipe for a good time.
Also Read: 4 Unique Birthday Party Dessert Ideas: Custom Oreos, Cheesecakes, and More
