Kingston Practical Guide: Norman Manley Airport, Cultural Events, New Kingston vs Downtown, and Safety Awareness
The practical guide to Kingston covers the airport and its unusual Palisadoes location, the cultural events calendar from the Marley birthday to Carnival, the contrast between the safe upscale New Kingston and the recovering historic downtown, and the area awareness required for the city.
- 1
Getting to Kingston: Norman Manley Airport
Norman Manley International Airport on the Palisadoes spit enclosing the Kingston harbour, named after the National Hero and founding prime minister, receives direct international flights from London Heathrow, New York JFK, Miami, Toronto, and the major Caribbean hubs. The airport sits in an extraordinary location between the harbour and the Caribbean Sea with the view of the Blue Mountains directly ahead on approach.
- 2
When to Visit Kingston: Events and Season
Kingston has a year-round warm tropical climate with the hurricane season from June to November bringing occasional weather disruption. The cultural events calendar includes Carnival in April, the Bob Marley Birthday Celebration in February, the Rebel Salute reggae festival in January, and the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. The International Reggae Poster Contest and the Jamaica Biennial art exhibition are major cultural events.
- 3
New Kingston Business District: The Modern Capital
New Kingston, the upscale business and hotel district that developed from the 1960s onward on the former Maxfield Park polo ground, is the commercial center of the modern city, with the Courtleigh Manor and Altamont Court hotels, the New Kingston Shopping Centre, and the concentration of bank towers and corporate offices that define the economic identity of contemporary Jamaica. New Kingston contrasts dramatically with the decay of the historic downtown.
- 4
Kingston Downtown: The Historical Core
The downtown Kingston area around the waterfront, King Street, and the historic commercial district is undergoing a slow gentrification and cultural recovery from the urban decay of the post-independence period, with the National Gallery, the Craft Market, the waterfront promenade, and the Ward Theatre being the anchors of the heritage tourism effort to reclaim the historic core for cultural and commercial activity.
- 5
Safety in Kingston: Area Awareness
Kingston has specific safety considerations that require area awareness: the tourist areas of New Kingston, Devon House, the Bob Marley Museum, and the upscale residential neighborhoods are generally safe during daytime. The inner-city garrison communities of Tivoli Gardens, Arnett Gardens, and Denham Town have historically had high violence rates associated with political tribalism and should be visited only on organized community tourism programs.
- 6
Portmore: The Commuter City
Portmore, the planned dormitory city on the southern shore of the Kingston harbour accessible by the Portmore Causeway, houses approximately 200,000 residents who commute daily to Kingston across the causeway in one of the most striking urban commuting landscapes in the Caribbean. Portmore is also the location of the Hellshire Beach recreational area and the Fish Market that is the primary fresh fish source for the Kingston population.