The Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK is proud to present the second Cayman Day event in London, UK!
Proudly sponsored by
An afternoon celebration of the Cayman Islands with friends, family and our Caymanians living overseas!
We are very excited to be working with CIGO-UK once again to organise the second ever Cayman Day in the UK (London).
Be sure to register for your ticket below and use the form to let us know if you can volunteer or perform! NOTE: We now have a waiting list for this event.
- Cayman Mama & Prosecco Reception
- Cayman-inspired starters & buffet
- Live performances from Caymanian artists
- Cultural Displays
- Cayman Products at Creative Showcase & Shop
- Heavy Cake Competition
- Games Area, Dominoes & Prizes
- Family entertainment & Children’s Activities
- Live DJs & afterparty
12pm – 6pm, Saturday 12 November 2022
Snoozebox Hotel
Olympic Park, London E15 2NQ, United Kingdom
The 2nd Annual Cayman Day Heavy Cake Competition (Registration Closed)
Cayman Day 2022 wouldn’t be complete without delicious heavy cake, and if your recipes are Michelin Star quality, WE WANT YOU to compete! There are 3 categories in this year’s Heavy Cake Competition: Cassava, Yam and Cream of Wheat.
Beautiful gift bags and prizes up for grabs – REGISTER NOW using link below or by emailing rita@caymanconnection.org.
EVENT DETAILS
COMPLIMENTARY DRINKS RECEPTION & STARTERS: 12:00 – 1:30pm Please plan to arrive by 12pm for our complimentary drinks reception and enjoy mingling with guests. Plan to stay for a host of activities and performances throughout the day along with a cash bar after 1:30pm.
DELICIOUS CARIBBEAN MENU: A delicious selection of starters will be served in the first 1.5 hours followed by a Caribbean & Cayman-inspired buffet and dessert.
BOBO & TEDEE’S YARD (Kids’ Area): We are excited to welcome Allison from Non-Stop Kids Entertainment to Bobo & Tedee’s Yard – our kids’ area! Our team will add Caymanian flavour to a show of magic, bubbles, balloons, pirates, and party games. Enjoy fun for the entire family!
ACTIVITIES: Along with great food and beverages, you can expect a range of performances and talks throughout the day, a games area including dominoes, competitions, prizes, an awards ceremony and more!
WIN: Guests who arrive between 12pm – 1:30pm will be entered into a prize draw to WIN a special Cayman-Islands gift hamper valued at over £200!
COMMENT BOX & PRIZE DRAWS: Enter your comments and ideas throughout the day to be entered into a prize draw for prizes worth £10-£50!
MAKING WAVES AWARDS: The inaugural Making Waves Awards took place at H.E. the Governor’s residence in Grand Cayman on 24 August, and at Cayman Day 2022 we are hosting a special segment to present two of the awards to recipients living in the UK! See below for more.
CREATIVE SHOWCASE & SHOP: We are selling beautiful Cayman Islands and Cayman Connection products in our Creative Showcase & Shop. If you would like to learn more about shop opportunities, email shop@caymanconnection.org.
Benefits of being involved in the Cayman Day Creative Showcase & Shop:
- Free delivery of products to the UK
- Included in the ‘Creative Showcase and Shop’ beautifully designed, especially for Cayman Day in the UK (London).
- Marketed at Cayman Day in the UK, across our social media platform and in our communications.
- Any sales on the day can be paid into your Cayman Islands bank account. Unsold items can be showcased and sold from the Cayman Connection Online Shop.
MAP LINK TO THE VENUE for directions HERE. If coming by Tube/DLR, change at Stratford and head to PUDDING MILL LANE DLR station. The venue is opposite the station exit – you can’t miss it! If driving, the entrance to the carpark is off Pudding Mill Lane.
PARKING: Please let us know if you would like to book a space as it may fill up quickly. BOOK PARKING
END TIME – 6pm: Live entertainment will finish by 5pm, followed by DJ Just Vibez for Caribbean tunes and dancing, and the dominoes competition by 7pm.
ACCOMMODATION:
THE HOTEL IS NOW FULL
Volunteers who do not live in London are offered travel expenses and a hotel room for one night on Friday 11 November only, so if you would like to help us on the day and haven’t already been in touch with the fabulous volunteer coordinator, Lisa, please do get in touch by emailing: volunteer@caymanconnection.org
We are ecstatic to be able to celebrate the inaugural Making Waves Awards at Cayman Day, awarding our two UK Winners in person and celebrating all winners.
Heath & Wellness Award Winner
Davenport Development Arts & Culture Award Winner
Cayman Day 2022
Performers & Special Guests
Ashlea Jade Smith
Ashlea Jade Smith is a Caymanian-born Sports Development Professional & Fitness Specialist living and working in the UK.
Aside from work, Ashlea hosts her own podcast ‘Melanin & Me’ supporting and uplifting Black Women & WOC on health, wellness, and self-improvement topics. In 2020 Ashlea came away with 3 titles from the Miss Caribbean UK pageant; 1st Princess, Miss Personality, and Best Charity Fundraiser as she proudly represented the Cayman Islands.
Expect Ashlea to enliven the crowd with a blend of Socasize moves, carnival jumping and waving, and a fun dance off circle (plus, a few surprises) again this year! Join in – you won’t be disappointed!
Cayman Day Folk Band
The Cayman Day Folk Band includes Nayil Arana on fiddle, and vocalists Rita Estevanovich, King Navassa, Juliet Garricks* and Nicole Wood. The Band was formed for the inaugural Cayman Day and have since performed at the Wellchild Christmas Concert in December 2021. They return to share traditional Caymanian folk songs to warm our hearts.
*We will miss Juliet this year as she is on the West End!
Caxxianne
Award-winning, Alternative Hip Hop artist and songwriter, Caxxianne has been honing her skills on stages across Europe for the past few years. Caxxianne blends her Music ski l ls with her lifetime of Poetry writing experience, bringing about the perfect marriage of two of her passions.
Caxxianne’s evolution into music allowed her to express herself freely and boldly, daring to say what others won’t. Her music is created to liberate the rebel in every soul that dares to open-up to her lyrical blessings. She is a self-proclaimed peoplelutionist advocating for the rights of her people and all people. Caxxianne’s work takes you to a place where words become freedom, a place of elation for Black and Brown Humans.
Born in Jamaica and raised in the Cayman Islands Caxxiannes’ environment provided her with the tools she needed for mental and spiritual growth and traveling the world allowed her to navigate those tools into her art that you are witnessing today.
Daiezha Mcfield
Daiezha Mcfield is a true Caymanian Island girl, born and raised in the beautiful district of Northside. She is a Dancer, Cheerleader and Pageant Queen.
Daiezha is currently Miss Exquisite World 2022/23 she has represented the Cayman Islands in the world pageant. Daiezha’s Pageantry Journey actually Began in the Cayman Islands when she won the title Miss Cinderella Tot Cayman Islands in 2008 and since then has won many titles in the UK.
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Introduced to ballet at the age of 4, Daiezha has always had a passion for the art of dance. Miss Daiezha McField has a diploma in Performing Arts & has specialised in Hip Hop, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical, Commercial and more. Miss McField has been dancing professionally for 7 years to present. She has professionally coached and teaches dance for 4 years to kids and adults. Daiezha has choreographed stage performances and music videos for one of Cayman’s most recognised female rap artist Precious Shordee.
Although our Caymanian performer is well known in the arts of dance, Daiezha’s is also a Professional Cheerleader who competed Last year with her university and won 1st place in the championship at the national cheerleading competition at DC12.
DJ – JUST VIBEZ
Bringing us Caribbean tunes throughout the day
DJ Zeeky
Zeeky was born with a passion for music. Born and raised in a musical family with a wide range of musical preferences and influences, he possesses a remarkable musical ear. His DJ skills allow him to seamlessly combine music from one genre to the next, creating a musical symphony.
DJ Zeeky is an open format DJ from the Cayman Islands. DJ Zeeky started out back in 2011 when he decided to go on an 8 week DJ course. After finishing the course he fell in love with DJing and has had a passion for it ever since.
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Initially, Zeeky honed his skills by working the local DJ scene in the Cayman Islands and it was during this time that DJ Zeeky developed his love for an open format style of DJing where he plays multiple genres during his set’s.
It was immediately apparent that Zeeky had a natural talent for DJing and within a very short space of time, he was invited to become resident DJ for the Westin Hotel and The Royal Palms Beach Club, Cayman Islands.
Following on from the success of his DJ ventures and alongside his growing popularity in the Cayman Islands, DJ Zeeky established his own music production and entertainment company, Seven Mile Beats.
Zeeky would go on to organise and host many events under this brand name and consequently saw increased recognition whilst playing all over the Island. Following on from the early days, DJ Zeeky went on to become resident DJ for many of the top clubs on the Island, including Power Supply Lounge, Havana Club and Jet Nightclub, among others.
Fast forward to the present and DJ Zeeky is now living in the UK where he has also become well known on the music scene for his powerful mixes and song selection. DJ Zeeky knows how to work the crowd, taking them on a journey right from the set opening through to the peak where he has the crowd jumping and it is DJ Zeeky’s unique skill and his feel for the music, that allows him to do this as well as he does.
Since being in the UK, DJ Zeeky has played at events, pubs and clubs in Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, Birmingham, Worthing, Brighton, Leicester & at various bar’s/restaurants around London and even as a guest DJ for Westside and several internet radio stations in London.
As well as being an integral part of the UK DJ scene, DJ Zeeky has also played in clubs around the world, including New York & Miami USA, Cuba, Jamaica, Barcelona Spain, Amsterdam, Cyprus and many others.
Jawara Alleyne
Award winning Fashion Designer and artist from Jamaica and the Cayman Islands Jawara Alleyne has developed his handwriting through examining topics of cultural relevance while pushing these topics through a tunnel of both contextual and abstract references.
The delicate balancing of ideas thought of as unrelated and the creation of narratives through the significance and importance of differences is the key element behind Alleyne’s ethos.
John Reno Jackson
John Reno Jackson is an interdisciplinary artist based currently in Grand Cayman. He attended foundational courses in painting and drawing at the Art Academy London in 2015 and received mentorship from TURPS Correspondence Course in 2020-2022.
Since then he has continued his exploration with multimedia through a series of works made interpreting themes such as migration, isolation and identity. Jackson‘s works interlace ideas in multiple narratives drawn from current and historical situations within the Cayman Islands and the region. His works deal with the concepts and baggage of both subjective recollections and ongoing social situations.
The subject matter engages with Caribbean life in an illusory manner.
King Navassa
Experienced production assistant, strong arts professional and multi-talented performer King joins us from Manchester to sing some classics and entertain us throughout the day. Keen podcaster, King’s podcasts include “The King and I” and “Celebrating Caymanians Overseas, out of sight…not out of mind..”
Outgoing and passionate, and he always endeavors to bring out the best in his comrades and within his community. His laughter is infectious and we are so blessed to have him on the CayConnect team.
Maeve
Boundary-less, honest, 100% self-made, Maeve is everything a true artist has to be in 2022.
Whether sonically or in real life, Maeve has always existed in liminal spaces. Hailing from the tiny island of Grand Cayman which stretches only 25 miles long, she relocated to London after a storm wrecked her family home. Now her creations are storms unto themselves.
Being from a small town & attending strict all-girl catholic schools throughout her childhood, Maeve constantly had a feeling that she was an outsider. She turned to the internet for a sense of belonging. It was there she had a cultural revelation “Patti Smith, Tom Waits and the internet raised me – they’ve taught me everything I know how to do today”
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Singing ever since she could remember, classically trained and a choir girl growing up, Maeve also wrote short stories in her free time – she discovered her love for songwriting when she taught herself guitar at 14 married these two loves. She became obsessed with crafting songs & started making home-produced demos. She took jobs performing at bars and hotels round the island playing her original songs to anyone who would listen.
After releasing her debut EP the dystopian pop, “Caravaggio in a Corner Store” an EP, Maeve deemed “too weird for radio” – though it ended up pummling the airwaves of BBC Radio 1, Maeve permeated through the gutter. Inspired by Vangelis’ “Blade Runner” soundtrack and experimental industrial sonics it also featured the legend, William Orbit (Madonna, Blur). Maeve’s unique sound and look also drove the fashion world to take notice, notably, Alexander Mcqueen & Rankin who she has both collaborated with. Maeve is now represented by IMG models. But if you think Maeve is just another muse you are well mistaken.
Maeve is back with the first Chapter of her next work, “Can we just get high?”. Still unanchored by genre, with her multi-instrumentalism and daring production techniques that are at once delicate and ferocious – but are now laced with Cinema. Maeve has let us in deeper to her story – deeper down into the gutter.
Bewitching, bold and as honest as her lyrics, Maeve follows the auteur tradition of artists like Kate Bush, Bjork and Imogen Heap as a visual artist who embraces the innovative. “I didn’t like the world that I lived in so I guess that’s why I was driven to artists who have created their own worlds. I want to do that for other people and defy genre”.
Earlier this year Maeve set off on two major tours opening for Marina
(FKA Marina and the Diamonds) and Banks. With her fierce and theatrical stage energy, littered with live drums and guitar solos she left with a feverish group of dedicated followers. They left with pamphlets for her cult, the Dustheads. Will you join too?
Mr Notch – Singer
Caymanian singer Jeán-Eric Smith aka Mr. Notch has been breaking ground in the local music industry for decades, as was the case just recently when the musician completed an unprecedented three month tour throughout the UK and the United States, alongside major acts such as UB40, Maxi Priest and Big Mountain.
An inspirational performer who has always been raising the bar for local musicians, the artist’s international appearances alongside such celebrated acts, charts new territory for those to come in his wake.
With the first stops of the three week tour taking place at summer festivals throughout the United Kingdom, featuring other major international headliners, Mr. Notch and reggae impresarios Big Mountain wowed audiences with their rendition of the popular Alton Ellis classic, ‘Girl I’ve Got A Date’; a collaborative single featured on Big Mountain’s previously released Versions Undercover album (2008) as well as on their recently released album, Best of Big Mountain.(2020)
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In 2021, Mr. Notch’s tour with Big Mountain included stops at Huddersfield,
Leeds, Manchester,Birmingham.
After the February 2022 release of ‘Reggae Man’ the follow up single to ‘Black My Story’, Mr. Notch was again invited to tour the UK w Big Mountain on their follow up UK Summer Festival tour this year with these dates including venues in Cardiff Wales, Glasgow Scotland and London England. Other acts featured on these dates were Shaggy, Chaka Demus n Pliers, Collie Budz, Third World, Julian Marley and many more.
After wrapping up the UK leg of the tour, Mr. Notch and Big Mountain made their way to the United States where they joined the Bigger Bagga Riddim Tour, alongside heavyweights such as UB40, the Original Wailers featuring Al Anderson and Maxi Priest.
The tour saw the musicians playing some 28 dates in 15 States, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, NYC (Central Park), Massachusetts and Boca Raton Florida to name a few.
These tours follow a grueling recording and promotion schedule, which started with the artist releasing his debut single ‘Black My Story’ in 2019, before traveling to the United Kingdom to promote its release during the height of the COVID world pandemic in 2020.
The timing of the promotional tour for ‘Black My Story’ was strategized to coincide with Black History Month in the UK and was launched with the professional assistance of Music Media Management at the time.
Mr. Notch is now set to release his fourth single ‘Search the Town’ later this month, in a continued attempt to generate demand for an album; continuing on the momentum of Black My Story, Reggae Man and his latest release Got To Have Love.
The Artist’s international and regional success at this juncture are a culmination of 40 years in the music business and a true testament to his longevity, which is a prerequisite to success in any discipline.
“To be asked by Big Mountain to come back with them on their return tour of the UK was truly a feeling of validation of my previous and ongoing efforts to have my music break into the UK market, but to then be given the opportunity to appear with them on the UB40 Bigga Bagga Riddim USA Tour was truly the icing on the cake and the end to an amazing summer,” noted Mr. Notch.
He added that, “I’ve performed in New York City before but performing in Central Park, New York was always a dream of mine and after 40 years of being a professional musician it has finally been ticked off the bucket list.”
“I’d say the moral to my story is never give up,” ‘he remarked, “so I really can’t wait to get back in the studio”.
Nayil Arana
Traditional Caymanian & Caribbean music
Nayil Arana is a prolific Caymanian violinist, having served as a fiddler for several groups including the Cayman Islands Folk Singers and the Bona Fide Band. He also produces electronic music on YouTube, where his content has received millions of views. Aside from his artistic career, he is also one of the few Caymanians who has worked for Big Tech; he was a Software Engineering Intern for Amazon’s Luxembourg office in Summer 2021 and then for Atlassian’s US office in Summer 2022.
Nicole Wood
Nicole Wood is a Caymanian Singer-Actor Musician based in London and has been performing professionally for 9 years. She completed her BA Hons Music degree at Bath Spa University before going on to train at Rose Bruford College’s Acting Part-Time course and will be starting her Masters in Ethnomusicology at Goldsmiths University at the end of September. Nicole is proficient in Classical repertoire on flute and has a wide singing repertoire but specialises in mainly Jazz and Musical Theatre.
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Nicole made her London Fringe theatre debut in 2018 playing Inez Serrano in Jean-Paul Sartre’s play ‘No Exit’ with The Roses Theatre Company. She was also their Assistant Director the following year for the play ‘Sex Cells’ by Anna Longaretti. Her other recent performing accomplishments include singing at Cayman Day 2021 and The Wellchild Christmas Concert with the Cayman Folk Band, appearing in Rebecca Weiss’ music video ‘Tapestry’, the narration of audiobook ‘Soft Lips Volume 1’ by Scarlet Fox March 2021, and a supporting role in the feature film A Matter of Causality as Lucy Hale, a movie which won Best Ensemble Cast and was a Selected Finalist for the Best Feature Film at the Oniros Film Awards, March 2020; and winning Best Indie Feature at Global Film Festival Awards, Los Angeles. Nicole has also recently made her debut into the glittering world of Burlesque and Cabaret under the stage name Alexandria Saint Payne.
Nicole is represented by Annarie Boor of Tapping Frog Talent Management.
Instagram: @caribbeanfox
Twitter: @nicoleawood
Sarafina Mitchell
Sarafina Mitchell is a fourth-generation Caymanian and has always aspired to help others naturally. Hence, she chose a career in the medical field. Planning to return to the Cayman Islands in 2025 as a fully registered pharmacist to help those in her community she is already on track currently in her third year of her Master of Pharmacy degree.
Always looking for ways to be inspired she is a member of Girl Power Cayman a community-oriented organisation focused on inspiring, nurturing, and empowering young women. She believes in herself to be a creative, ambitious, and determined young lady, who is very grateful for this opportunity to bring awareness to her platform of mental health awareness. If chosen as Miss Caribbean UK, Sarafina plans to use her platform to advocate how mental health impact lives and educate on the services available. Sarafina would like to thank everyone who has encouraged her to enter this year’s pageant and ask for their continued kind support through her journey as a Miss Caribbean UK finalist.
Precious Shordee
Sheril Precious McField aka Precious Shordee was born and raised in the Cayman Islands and is known for her participation in beauty pageants. She has now turned to express herself through music and is an award-winning hip-hop artiste. DJ Khaled describes her music sound as “Super Dope” and she’s worked with Wiley’s producer Morfius & producer Slym Black Ops Music/Shatty Shane Productions. Precious’ dream is to be an international artist, carrying her Cayman people with her and putting the Cayman Islands on the map musically.
She is also currently Reigning Queen Ms. Exquisite World 2022-2023 and an advocate for Mental Health Anxiety. Sheril has represented the Cayman Islands at Nationals Miss Exquisite World Pageant and went on to compete at Miss Exquisite World Internationals, where she was crowned Ms. Exquisite World.
Ms. McField has previously won Ms. Surrey Galaxy in 2016 and was proclaimed as the UK Beauty Queen of the Cayman Islands in the Caymanian Compass. She graduated from John Casablanca’s Modelling Arts & Institution School in Atlanta, Georgia and has an International Model Diploma, and has modelled for Atlanta Film & Fashion Board, Pepsi Promotions and many others. Sheril has always been passionate about pageantry, music, fashion, modelling, women empowerment & mental health. She dares to empower but mostly, she dares to be herself.
Known by the world musically as Precious Shordee aka Precious, Sheril has always been passionate about pageantry, music, fashion, modelling, women empowerment & mental health. She dares to empower but mostly, she dares to be herself.
Spice Queen Productions
We are excited for Spice Queen Productions to bring the spirit of the carnival to Snoozebox Hotel this year with costumed models! Miss Caribbean UK 2022 contestant Sarafina Mitchell – representing the Cayman Islands – will join Ashlea Jade Smith and others, adding colour to the event!
TICKETS THANKS TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS GOVERNMENT OFFICE – UK!
Sponsor tickets – please state the sponsor company name in the comments section.
Cayman Day 2022 TICKET Registration
This event is now full
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE: Please contact kate@caymanconnection.org
Cayman Day in the UK
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