Jamaicans are being invited to tune to television or online as this year’s symbolic hoisting of the Jamaican Flag takes place during a civic ceremony on Independence Day (August 6) at Statue Park, National Stadium, starting at 9:00 am.

The ceremony, which is being held a few metres away from where the flag was first raised to mark Jamaica’s Independence 59 years ago in 1962, will be broadcast live on Television Jamaica (TVJ) and the Public Broadcasting
Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) as well as across social media including, www.jcdc.gov.jm and www.jis.gov.jm.

Olivia Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, will greet the officials on their arrival at the ceremony.

COVID-19 restrictions have limited the state officials who will participate in the ceremony, physically, to Governor General Sir Patrick Allen; Prime Minister Andrew Holness; Opposition Leader Mark Golding; Chief Justice Bryan Sykes; Senate President Tom Tavares Finson; Mayor of Kingston Delroy Williams; Acting Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Roderick Williams and Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson.

Members of uniformed youth groups, including the Jamaica Combined Cadet Corps, will operate as Keepers of the Ceremonial Grounds while the Jamaica Military Band will play the National Anthem as the Flag is hoisted.

The National Pledge will be said by the newly crowned Miss Jamaica Festival Queen, Dr Dominique Reid.

The ceremony will end with three tenors, Rory Baugh, Franklin Halliburton, and Commander John McFarlane, accompanied by the Jamaica Military Band, singing the patriotic song, I See My Land in the Morning.