Fun in the Son, also known as Best Dressed Fun in the Son, is an annual

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

festival held in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

History

First held in March 2002 as a free event, it was originally staged at King's House and Heroes Circle in Kingston.Diouf, Mamadou & Nwankwo, Ifeoma Kiddoe (eds.) (2010) ''Rhythms of the Afro-Atlantic World: Rituals and Remembrances'', University of Michigan Press, , p. 50 It became a three-week festival and moved to Kingston in 2005.Kirk Franklin To Headline Fun In The Son 2012
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 26 June 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2014 It is organised by

Tommy Cowan Tommy Cowan CD (born Thomas Lincoln Cowan, 6 April 1946, Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica) is a producer and singer, initially working in reggae but later concentrating on gospel, who has been involved in the music business since the 1960s.Brooks, Sade ...

and

Carlene Davis Carlene Davis (born c.1953) is a Jamaican gospel and reggae singer active since the 1970s. Successful since the early 1980s as a reggae artist, she survived cancer in the mid-1990s, after which she dedicated her career to gospel music. She has re ...

's Glory Music organisation. Cowan described the aim of the festival as to "win this generation for Christ".Churches Take To The Streets In Support Of Fun In The Son
, ''

'', 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014 The event attracted sponsorship from the Jamaican Broilers Group and was renamed 'Best Dressed Fun in the Son', a reference to the group's Best Dressed Chicken brand.Fun in the Son moves to Jamworld
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

'', 19 February 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014 In 2012 Fun in the Son was staged at

National Heroes Park National Heroes Park (formerly King George VI Memorial Park) is a botanical garden in Kingston, Jamaica. The largest open space in Kingston at 50 acres in size,

in Kingston, one of the official events held as part of the celebrations of Jamaica's 50 years of independence.Fun In The Son Changes Date, Venue
, ''

'', 24 May 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2014 An event was also held in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

in 2013, and an Autumn tour of schools in Jamaica took place that year.Fun in the Son school tour starts Monday
, ''

'', 27 September 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2014 As well as musical performances, the event includes religious ministry and expanded to include fairground rides and other attractions. The 2014 event is to feature extreme sports, football, marching bands, and a Gospel jazz concert.Jamworld to host Fun in the Son
", ''Jamaica Star'', 27 February 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014 In 2014 the event will be staged in July at the Jamworld Entertainment Complex in Portmore, St. Catherine. Headline artists over the years have included

Papa San Tyrone Thompson, (born July 1, 1967)
better known as Papa San, is a Jamaic ...

, Carlene Davis,

Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American songwriter, choir director, gospel singer, and rapper. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel ensembles such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC) a ...

, and Goddy Goddy. Other artists to perform include

Lieutenant Stitchie Cleveland Laing (born 29 September 1965), better known as Lieutenant Stitchie, is a Jamaican deejay who originally worked in the dancehall style but switched to gospel reggae in 1997 after surviving a car crash, thereafter working under the short ...

Prodigal Son The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father) is one of the parables of Jesus Christ in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. Jesus shares the parable with ...

, The Grace Thrillers,

Hezekiah Walker Bishop Hezekiah Walker (born December 24, 1962) is a popular American gospel music singer and artist and pastor of prominent Brooklyn New York Pentecostal megachurch, Love Fellowship Tabernacle. Walker has released several albums on Benson Reco ...

, and

Ron Kenoly Ron Kenoly (born December 6, 1944) is an American Christian worship leader, singer, and songwriter whose expressed mission is "to create an environment for the manifest presence of God". His musical style is one of jubilant praise and individu ...

References

External links

* {{Religious music festival Gospel music festivals Music festivals established in 2002 Folk festivals in Jamaica Christian music festivals Kingston, Jamaica Jazz festivals in Jamaica Blues festivals in Jamaica