Back in person for 2023, Alex Morrissey, organiser of the Earth Hour JA concert, says the event has evolved since its initial staging 11 years ago.
"It started small, with a couple hundred people and it has grown over the years. We decided to keep it a free event because the more people know about the issue the greater chance we have of people making a change," Morrissey disclosed in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Monday night at the 2023 launch event at the AC Kingston hotel.
The Earth Hour JA Acoustic Concert is scheduled for Saturday, March 25, at Palm Drive, Hope Gardens. It will run from 5:00 pm until 11:00 pm and it will feature performances by Queen Ifrica, Fantan Mojah, Jamila Falak, Joby Jay, Ras-I-, and 5-Star Celestial.
Earth Hour is the single, largest, symbolic mass participation event in the world, that was born out of a hope to mobilise individuals to take action on climate change.
Every year as part of the WWF's Earth Hour journey, the Jamaica-based ESIROM Foundation team joins in on the efforts to mobilise people around the world to 'Give an Hour for Earth' as part of efforts to create presence and awareness.
Singer Jamila Falak, a creative who is actively involved in environmental issues, is happy to be a part of the line-up for the Earth Hour JA Acoustic Concert.
"I've always wanted to be on Earth Hour, and when I got the call I didn't hesitate to say 'yes'. I'm an environmentalist, and so with the initiative that I have been leading on the ground in Jamaica, it's only fitting to be on an event like this, as a musician and environmentalist, to bring the message to the people," said Falak, who is also the Jamaica team coordinator for the Caribbean Tree Planting Project. She is also the founder of Plant and Play, which is an initiative geared towards engaging fellow creatives to take climate action.
Morrissey, whose company ESIROM spearheads the production of the event locally, shared how the interest in partnering with the WWF came into fruition.
"Initially we got involved when we were doing a documentary in Indonesia and in-transit to Indonesia we went to Singapore. And while we were in Singapore, it was kinda like magic. It came up on Instagram that Earth Hour was happening in Singapore, and so we wanted to check it out. We met with the organisers and we decided to do an Earth Hour concert here in Jamaica," Morrissey explained.
Recording artiste 5 Star Celestial says fans can expect a good time at the event.
"My music is word, sound, and power. It's about lyrics, content, and dynamism, style and flavour. So you can expect all a dat during my performance," said the artiste who has been doing music professionally for the past eight years.
He described his journey in music.
"Music is a hill and gully ride. We have planted some good seeds and we are seeing the fruit bearing now, so it looks very promising. I'm delivering content that the people dem need," he said.
Reggae Sumfest, Salada Foods, and Supligen are among the sponsors of the 2023 Earth Hour JA Acoustic Concert.
The event will also feature interactive games and booth displays.
Source: Jamaica Observer