National Music Festival to be developed in 2026 – Min Ramson

– $100M set aside for Int’l Decade of People of African Descent

Plans are moving forward for a National Music Festival in 2026, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport confirmed that the initiative is included in this year’s national budget.
The disclosure was made in the National Assembly by subject Minister Charles Ramson Jr during the consideration of the 2026 estimates when the Minister was questioned about allocations for cultural development and national events.
Responding to queries from opposition parliamentarians during the consideration of the estimates in the 2026 national budget, the Minister explained that a key line item within the Ministry’s budget would fund several cultural initiatives, including the new festival.

“The line caters for the engagement of consultancies for designs for civil works, the development of exhibits for the museums, and the engagement of services for national events. Approximately $100 million is also allocated for the International Decade of People of African Descent.
Additionally, it caters to the development of the National Music Festival as contained in our manifesto,” he told the House.
While specific details regarding the structure, categories, regional qualifiers, or timeline for the festival were not outlined during the exchange, the Minister positioned the initiative within the Ministry’s broader cultural programming and the expansion of national events.
Ramson revealed that the Ministry delivered 87 events across the Government in 2025 alone, involving thousands of young people and cultural performers.
“For example, you would have seen in 2025, we did 87 events across the Government, 87 events,” he said, noting that cultural performances have become a standard feature of Government activities nationwide.
The proposed National Music Festival is also being linked to the Government’s push to strengthen what it describes as the “orange economy”, the creative industries sector encompassing music, arts, and cultural enterprise.
The Minister indicated that a Cabinet Plus Committee has already been established to advance recommendations in that regard, with public consultations expected to inform cultural policy development moving forward.
“In our manifesto, we made the commitment that we’re going to have the development of the orange economy… We have since established a Cabinet Plus Committee… and from there, we will proceed to an elaborate public consultation,” he said.
Although no official launch date has been announced, the inclusion of the National Music Festival within the 2026 estimates signals that the initiative is moving from policy commitment to implementation.
Further details on programming and rollout are expected as the Ministry advances its cultural agenda for the year.