Kingston on the Edge (KOTE) is the brainchild of five friends (Beatriz Pozueta, Carolyn Lazarus, Enola Williams, Joaquin Portocarero and Omar Francis) who wanted to showcase Jamaican artists in a creative and free manner. The festival is a weeklong celebration of art and the artists who live and work in and/or are inspired by the city of Kingston, and has quickly become a much anticipated fixture on the local art calendar.

Providing a forum outside of the traditional spaces, the Festival allows the artists to express themselves and push the boundaries and definitions of their art and offers an opportunity for artists, venues and the general public to interact creatively, with a view to developing and harnessing the incredible artistic potential of Jamaica. We have found that this environment motivates and inspires the artist to experiment with their work, often leading to the birth of new and exciting movements in the local scene.

The festival features painting, sculpture, photography, film, poetry, dance, theatre, music, performance art, installations and anything else one can think of in the realm of artistic expression, and is the only one of its kind in the country.

There is no other festival in Jamaica which does what KOTE does.  KOTE provides a forum outside of the traditional spaces that allows the artist to express themselves and push the boundaries and definitions of their art.  We have found that this environment motivates and inspires the artist to experiment with their craft often leading to the birth of new and exciting movements in the local scene.

The Festival offers an opportunity for artists, venues and the general public to interact creatively, with a view to developing and harnessing the incredible artistic potential of Jamaica.