Following in the footsteps of the Nigerians, the Danes and the Russians to name but three, Jamaica opened its ‘national house’ yesterday to coincide with the London 2012 Olympic Games – Jamaica House.
Jamaica House is located inside the O2 North Greenwich Arena, occupying one of the large spaces towards the rear of the complex. Inside there’s a Red Stripe beach bar, an Appleton Estate cocktail bar (that last night was serving Jamaican Punch and a fierce Jamaican Mule) and a long-established London caterer serving up spicy patties to all-comers. Of course the focus of the space is on the main stage, which over the next week or so will be hosting musicians and DJs who will be encouraging everyone to get on their feet and start swaying their hips – there will be several sets from reggae bands Black Slate and Brixton-based Rasites, as well as dance performances and special guests. You’ll also be able to investigate the Jamaican shop which will be selling the best produce from Kingston to Montego Bay, and chat to the staff about holidaying on this beautiful Caribbean island. It goes without saying that you’ll also be able to watch all of the Olympic activities on large screens dotted around the space…
Beautiful bar staff @ Jamaica House’s Red Stripe beach bar
Jamaica House is also taking over some of the other venues inside the North Greenwich Arena for the duration – the regular British Music Experience attraction now has a distinctly Caribbean feel as it is hosting ‘Messenger – The Bob Marley Exhibition’. The IndigO2 venue will also be holding several music events to mark Jamaica’s 50 years of independence with ‘Respect Jamaica 50′, and Proud 2 is being turned into a comedy venue for two nights of Jamaican laughter on 5 and 6 August. Now Jamaica House’s tenure wouldn’t be up to much if all the fun took place indoors so you’ll be glad to hear that there’s also an outdoor area, the Jamaica House Terrace, which will also be offering live music and DJs as well as family activities during the day – British weather permitting of course!
Some of the lovely Games Makers relaxing @ Jamaica House
Jamaica House is open every day up to and including Saturday 12 August and entry is free of charge, but I would advise you to register online before you go to make sure that you’ll have a spot inside. Some of the London 2012 sporting events will, no doubt, attract very large crowds to Jamaica House – the final of the men’s 100 metres is likely to have three Jamaican athletes in contention for the medals for example. Also bear in mind that it is inside the security cordon, so allow a few minutes for bag checks and so on. The website listed above sets out all of the scheduled events but you can also follow @jtbuk on Twitter, keep an eye out for the #JamaicaHouse2012 hashtag and visit them on Facebook. You never know, some very special guests might drop into the venue at certain points during London 2012…
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