18th Annual International Charles Town Maroon Conference & Festival • June 20–23, 2026 • Charles Town, Portland, Jamaica
Home of the Windward Maroons

Experience Living Maroon Heritage

Charles Town welcomes you to a four-day cultural journey of roots, rhythm, knowledge, food, community, and legacy.

Welcome to Charles Town

Not a museum. A living culture.

Charles Town is a living Maroon community rooted in freedom, resilience, memory, and cultural practice. The 18th Annual International Charles Town Maroon Conference & Festival is the featured annual gathering, but the deeper invitation is to experience Charles Town itself.

Here, heritage is not only remembered. It is sung, drummed, cooked, taught, danced, defended, and passed forward.

Charles Town Maroon community
The central story

Four Days of Resilience

The website follows the real story of the event: Roots → Culture → Knowledge → Legacy.

Saturday, June 20

Community & Taíno Day

Children, elders, health, games, sacred fire, river ceremony, and indigenous teachings.

Day 1
Sunday, June 21

Drum Fest & Bun Fyah

Abeng, libation, West African drumming, dance, Kumina, Nyabinghi, and night celebration.

Day 2
Monday, June 22

Academic Conference

Historical resilience, living resilience, and futures of resilience through scholarship and community voices.

Day 3
Tuesday, June 23

Ancestor Quao Victory Day

Spanish River, Asafu Yard, ancestral tribute, stories, ceremony, Maroon communities, and victory songs.

Day 4
Experience Charles Town

Living Maroon Heritage

Taíno Day flyer

Taíno Solstice Celebration

Yucahuna Kachi Areito, sacred fire, river offerings, teachings, songs and dance.

Drum Fest flyer

Charles Town Drum Fest

Rhythm, sound therapy, drumming workshops, cultural presentation and community performance.

Maroon Cuisine flyer

Maroon Cuisine

Authentic jerk, bussu, crayfish, run dung, ground provisions and sweet treats.

Explore all experiences

Charles Town Camp-In flyer
Stay with us

Camp-In Charles Town

Stay near the river, the fire, the food, the music and the community. Camp-In and food booth options help turn attendance into immersion.

View stay options
Academic Conference

Scholarship meets community memory.

The Academic Conference explores resilience across yesterday, today and tomorrow, bringing together scholars, Indigenous and Maroon knowledge keepers, cultural workers, students and community voices.

Historical ResilienceLiving ResilienceImagining Futures

View speakers
Academic Conference Day flyer
Partners and sponsors logos
Partners & Supporters

Shared commitment to culture, heritage and community.

The partner section is built and ready for the remaining three messages: two written messages and one video message.

Partner Messages