Overview:
Jacmel marked its 327th anniversary with a month full of activities, including parades, dance performances, and a tribute to Caribbean literature and identity. The event also coincided with a two-day cultural festival, the inaugural Walking Islands Festival, a gathering of artists, poets, musicians reflecting on memory, creativity and shared heritage.
JACMEL — Poetry, music, masks and memory lit up Haiti’s Jacmel as the historic and southeastern port city marked its 327th anniversary with two days of cultural celebration under the theme: Jacmel, a city, a history.
The festivities began on July 27, with a beach festival on La Saline, followed by a thanksgiving mass at Notre-Dame de la Vierge chapel attended by local leaders and city dignitaries. A colorful parade of masked groups and marching bands animated Jacmel’s streets, as residents gathered to honor the southeast coast city’s artistic heritage.
On Monday evening, the celebration culminated with a cultural showcase at the tourist port, where traditional dance troupes and musical ensembles delivered a high-energy performance.
People fill the streets in celebration of the city’s founding during the masquerade parade on July 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Departmental Directorate of the Ministry of Tourism.
People fill the streets in celebration of the city’s founding during the masquerade parade on July 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Departmental Directorate of the Ministry of Tourism.
But the two-day event’s anniversary was just one part of a month rich in cultural activity.
From July 18 to 20, Jacmel hosted the first edition of the Walking Islands Festival (FIM), a unique artistic gathering dedicated to memory, poetry and dialogue. Held in creative spaces across the city, FIM invited artists and writers to reflect on the Caribbean islands’ common identity, shared histories and the role of art in shaping the future.
On July 19, the city turned into a vibrant space for exchange, reflection and discovery. Words took shape, ideas bloomed and responses emerged as writer Inéma Jeudi, the festival’s guest of honor, presented a major work as part of the Made in Kay Vwazen series. Alongside Ernst Dimitry Cadet and Derby Stanley St. Fleur, Jeudi took part in a conversation that explored memory as compass and rootedness as resistance.
The guest of honor at the Islands That Walk festival, the poet Inéma Jeudy, during a round table organized by the festival organizers on July 18, 2025, at the Florita hotel. Photo courtesy of the Islands That Walk.
Participants gather for an evening of conversation and exchange in the round table at the Walking Islands Festival at the Florita hotel in Jacmel, on July 19, 2025.. Courtesy of the Walking Islands Festival.
Throughout the day, voices like Jhonny Vyles, Ar Guens Jean Mary, Richardson Jean, Max Renaud Lubin and Wilson Edmond—known as Ti Lanp—led a poetic discussion on insularity and the visceral bond between artist and territory. The day closed with a roundtable on plural memories and Caribbean historical unity, featuring contributions from Guillaume Robillard, Carlos Dimeo, Miguel Ángel Fornerín, Kesler Bien-Aimé, Gino Sitson, Leticia Franqui Rosario and Marie Séguin.
The festival wrapped July 20 with a night of live Caribbean jazz, as Darlin Johancy Michel, Gougou Zachary Compère, Edner Roméus, Stanley Gué, Richecard Ciné and others performed in front of a packed crowd. Blending traditional rhythms with improvisation, the event underscored Jacmel’s reputation as a creative capital—one where music and memory intertwine.
This first edition of FIM reinforced what Jacmel has long demonstrated: that culture is more than celebration—it’s collective memory in motion.
Here are photos sharing a glimpse of the vibrant cultural celebrations in Jacmel during its 327th anniversary and the inaugural Walking Islands Festival
The dance troupe Ballet Grand Soleil takes the stage at the jazz evening on July 28, 2025, at Jacmel’s Tourist Wharf, marking the city’s 327th anniversary. Photo courtesy of the Departmental Directorate of the Ministry of Tourism.
The Explosion dance group during the city’s anniversary jazz night on July 28, 2025, performing at Jacmel’s Tourist Wharf. Photo courtesy of the Departmental Directorate of the Ministry of Tourism.
Locals swim and relax at La Saline Beach during the Sea Festival kickoff on Saturday, July 27, 2025. Photo by Danise Davide Lejustal for The Haitian Times.
Traditional masquerade groups march through Jacmel in honor of the city’s founding on July 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Departmental Directorate of the Ministry of Tourism.
The Skasha band paraded through the streets of Jacmel during the celebration of the city’s 327th anniversary on July 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Departmental Directorate of the Ministry of Tourism.
The masqueraders paraded through the streets of Jacmel on the occasion of the Jacmel city festival on July 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Departmental Directorate of the Ministry of Tourism.
People are having fun on La Saline beach during the Sea Festival on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the city of Jacmel, on July 27, 2025. Photo by Danise Davide Lejustal for The Haitian Times.
A view of hundreds of participants at the Jacmel’s Sea Festival at La Saline, organized to mark the 327th anniversary of the founding of the city of Jacmel, on July 27, 2025. Photo by Danise Davide Lejustal for The Haitian Times.
Jacmel Mayor Loudie César addresses the crowd during opening remarks at La Saline, on July 27, 2025. Photo by Danise Davide Lejustal for The Haitian Times.
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