Festival set for Sept. 11-12 in Washington Park

Festival Honors Victory of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive Name Change and Focuses on Health and Wellness
Photo provided by Felicia Apprey
Photo provided by Felicia Apprey

Festival set for Sept. 11-12 in Washington Park
Festival Honors Victory of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake
Shore Drive Name Change and Focuses on Health and Wellness

The 28th African/Caribbean International Festival of Life (IFOL) in Conjunction with The 5th Annual Jerk, Seafood and Vegan Festival (JSVFest) is confirmed to bring nations together
through music and culture Saturday and Sunday September 11th and 12th starting noon at Washington Park.

The smell and taste of the best jerk, seafood and vegan food will fill the park the entire weekend as vendors from all over the country will come to display their best. For five years the festival has been a festival for foodies and lovers of international cuisine. This festival will be a taste of jerk from all over the world.

The two-day, family-friendly festival will adhere to safety and security protocols, and continue with the tradition of bringing cultures together by teaching and sharing experiences through
music, food, arts, crafts, and games the entire weekend.

The event also is an opportunity to honor the victory of Lake Shore Drive name change to honor Haitian immigrant and founding father Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, who settled along the shores of Lake Michigan in 1779.

There will be reserved spaces throughout the park to focus on health and wellness for the community. A ‘Moment of Medicine’ will be dedicated where someone from the medical community
with background knowledge can provide the importance of vaccinations. There will be a vaccination station the entire weekend from the Illinois Department of Public Health Center
for Minority Health Services and the Vaccination Program.

This year’s festivities are dedicated to health and wellness, and the celebration of the renaming of Lake Shore Drive to Chicago founding father Jean Baptiste Point DuSable.

“We have moved the festival to Washington Park for the safety of our patrons who wanted this event and to help meet the city’s COVID-19 guidelines,” said founder, president and CEO, Ephraim Martin, “While celebrating founding father, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a man from the Caribbean country of
Haiti a major and historic honor, after 242 years since founded Chicago people will experience healthy cuisines from all over the world at our festival, including Jerk, Seafood and Vegan.”

Surrounded by The Carnival of Nations, with flags from the various Caribbean countries, and the rest of the African Diaspora will be the best of Reggae, Afrobeat, Hip Hop, R &
B, Blues, Jazz, EDM, House Music, Latinx, Gospel and other world music. Headlining the festivities will be The Delfonics, Haitian star Phylissia Ross and Mr. Vegas.

Stay connected with Jerk, Seafood and Vegan Festival (JSVFest): FB: Jerk Seafood & Vegan Fest Instagram: @jsvfestival

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