“The Original District Festival”, Ya Maka My Weekend turns 20 years old this year with the region’s best Caribbean music, food, culture, and island atmosphere. Beach volleyball, rasta wear, palm trees, and surfboards all return to transform downtown Rock Island into a tropical oasis. Spicy Caribbean foods, reggae music, swimwear fashion, pirates, tiki torches, beach balls, open air marketplace, tie dye clothing, sarongs and other apparel, cowry shell and hand-crafted jewelry, incense & oils, wood carvings, drums, African wares, and sunglasses. Ya Maka My Weekend starts at 5 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.
No passport required!
TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE!! GROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
Ya Maka My Weekend is held on the Great River Plaza, 2nd Avenue between 17th & 19th Streets, in Downtown Rock Island, Illinois. Admission is $8 for a one-day ticket; $12 for a two-day ticket; children 12 and under are free.
Event History
Ya Maka My Weekend was the very first festival in The District and started in 1992. Since that time the event has been constantly evolving. You’ll still find the same great reggae music and Caribbean food with a different twist each year.
Some of our sponsors have been with us since the very beginning including: Jumer’s Casino & Hotel, CBS4, 97X, and Dispatch/Argus. Thank You! We couldn’t do it without their support!
One of the unique things about a District festival is that it’s set in the middle of downtown, allowing for a free-flow of people from festival to entertainment establishment to art gallery to restaurant and back to the fest. It also means that if the weather is inclement, you can head inside for a break, and never leave the festival grounds.
We hope you enjoy this reggae & Caribbean festival and come back year after year! Ya Maka My Weekend is usually held the second full weekend in August.
Getting Here
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