[2] The festival was considered integral to national development as a way of giving Jamaicans a sense of who they are, and what their history and culture is all about.
[2] The festival was scheduled for the first Monday in August, to coincide with the holiday to celebrate both independence and emancipation.
[1] The festival includes agricultural exhibitions, and street parades, climaxing in a grand gala at Kingston's National Stadium.
[2] Today, the administrative structure includes a large volunteer-base with a JCDC officer appointed to oversee activities in each parish.
[3] In 2008, the JCDC announced that the Jamaican Festival Song Competition title would return, running in parallel with the Popular Song Competition, hoping that the previous title would re-create feelings of celebration among Jamaicans at Independence time.