Capella Festival 2024: An Awesome Display of LIVE Entertainment

Thousands of concert goers swarmed the Festival Green at Camana Bay on Saturday, 27th April for the third staging of the Capella Music Festival that has now become a staple brand in the Cayman Islands’ live entertainment space.

As part of this year’s festivities, revelers were transfixed to the sounds of several international artists, as well as local acts, who all put on an amazing show for visitors and residents.

Among the artists and styles represented at this years Capella were Damian Marley, the legendary Richard Marx, the powerhouse Becky Hill, the rising star Ayra Starr, the infectious vibes of Kes the Band, the turntable maestro DJ Puffy, and an impressive array of local bands and DJs.

Headliner Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley brought the house down with his eclectic style of Reggae, which ignited the audience into a frenzy of expectation and elation, as the lights inside the Festival Green were turnt to pitch black, before a glowing backdrop of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie was accompanied by the sounds and chants of Rastafarian elders, merged with scenes of historical events.

The youngest son of Reggae Icon Bob Marley got straight to business once the music began and gave the audience a riveting performance for the ages, reeling off singles such as ‘Welcome to Jamrock’, ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Road to Zion’, which had its official video directed by Cayman’s own Frank E. Flowers, who went on to also direct the global box office smash ‘One Love’ Bob Marley Biopic. 

Jr. Gong arrived on the Island of Grand Cayman the night before the Capella Festival and made his way straight to Cayman Cabana Oceanside Resto Bar for dinner, along with his mother and former Miss World, Cindy Breakspare and members of his band.

The group was serenaded by Caymanian Musician Stuart Wilson and his saxophonist Alejandro Lema. Wilson was also one of the performers on the main stage at the Capella Festival the following day.

In the run-up to Marley’s performance other notable acts to take the stage included Richard Marx, whose sultry ballads and effervescent charm put the audience in a trancelike euphoria of nostalgia and romance.

Marx’s hits include songs like, “Right Here Waiting for You”, “Keep On Loving You”, “Can’ Fight This Feeling”, and “Now and Forever”.

Kes the Band were also a crowd favourite with their infectious style of Calypso and Soca Music that has been a mainstay at many carnival fetes around the Caribbean region, as well a the diaspora.

Becky Hill and Newcomer Ayra Starr also brought the house down and though not as well know as the Marley and Marx, the crowd seemed to recognise their music as the evening went on, with many realising that they were indeed familiar with their songs and had heard them before encountering the artist’s live performance.   

The days festivities started with the Regeneration Band, who delivered their trademark energetic performance on the main stage, followed by Stuart Wilson and his Love Culture Band, also on the main stage, whilst James Geary, Dan Ebanks, Sugardaddi and the Neverines performed on satellite stages within the venue.

A slew of local Djs also got in on the action, with Dj Rion Kirk, Jason Gilbert/‘Skorch Bun It’ and Max Kazakov were all featured during the event.

WInners of the Capella Star competition held prior to the event were not to be outdone and gave stellar performances, showing why they were chosen in the competition, which saw acts receive votes and judge’s scores in order to gain the privilege of being the next Capella Star.

Winners included the first place winner Melody Copely Knox, second place winner James Monroe Jr. and third place Yohan Fitzgerald.

Organisers for the event said, “We wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone that attended Capella and made it such a huge success and noted that they were looking forward to starting the planning for Capella 2025.

To wrap things up, a Capella Festival Charity Brunch was held on Saturday 28th at the Agua Restaurant in Camana Bay to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.

“We had a wonderful post-Capella brunch at Agua in support of the Breast Cancer Foundation

“We wanted to say a huge thank you to the Agua team, our sponsors, and all those those who came, supported and donated towards such an incredible cause,” noted Capella Representatives.