Jimmy Cliff to play St Maarten

Celebrations lining up for 25th Heineken regatta

The Caribbean’s favourite regatta, St Maarten’s Heineken, celebrating its 25th birthday in 2005, is renowned for rockin’ post racing parties. Big name bands always round off proceedings and the Jubilee Regatta taking place on 4-6 March is no exception.

Closing the show on Sunday 6th of March in the white sand of Kim Sha Beach, will be reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, Jamaica’s Reggae Ambassador, the man whose relaxed style has conquered music charts across the globe. Jimmy Cliff is renowned for hits such as: 'Wonderful World', 'Beautiful People', 'Wild, Wild World', and of course 'I Can See Clearly Now', featured in the movie Cool Runnings, the tune that brought Jimmy to a whole new, young audience. In 2004 Jimmy Cliff released an album featuring duets with high profile stars like Sting, Joe Strummer, Yannick Noah and Wyclef Jean.

Jimmy Cliff’s laid-back mix of international and Caribbean style will gel perfectly with the mix of international and local sailors, plus the total population of the Island who always seem to come to the Regatta’s closing parties. In addition to Mr Cliff, support acts continue the theme of International and Caribbean styles, with Calypso King Onyan from Antigua and local bands like Youth Waves.

As well as the usual round of post-race parties following each of the three days of racing, there will be a major festival night to celebrate the St Maarten Heineken Regatta’s 24th birthday on Friday March 4th at the new Philipsburg Boardwalk. Multiple stages, many bands and a music selection to suit every taste will ensure that St Maarten rocks.

And don’t forget that there is some sailing too! Three races on consecutive days, including the Round the Island, port to port and the usual round the buoys races in the Anguilla Channel, all taking place in some of the best sailing waters in the world are a major part of the reason that hundreds of boats and thousands of people flock to St Maarten in March.

Serious Fun is the event motto; St Maarten’s Heineken regatta wouldn’t have it any other way.