Portland homecoming for Miss Universe Jamaica Celene Hall

Miss Universe Jamaica 2026 Celene Hall, the 25-year-old businesswoman, artist and philanthropist from Portland, will return to the parish on Friday, September 11, for a spectacular Homecoming Parade and Celebration, marking her first major public return to the community since making history as Jamaica’s newest queen.

For Portland, this is more than a homecoming. It is a celebration of a daughter of the parish who has done what no woman from Portland had done before: become Miss Universe Jamaica. Hall’s victory at the Grand Coronation in Kingston on August 23 transformed her from Portland’s parish queen into the woman who will carry the Jamaican flag onto the international Miss Universe stage later this year in Puerto Rico.

Now, the parish that helped shape her journey will have its moment with its queen.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, Hall will travel along a celebratory route from Buff Bay to Port Antonio, making stops at schools and communities including Buff Bay Primary, Hope Bay Town, St. Margaret’s Bay Primary, Norwich Primary, Boundbrook Primary, Port Antonio High School and Titchfield High School, the institutions and communities that represent the foundation of her journey.

The celebration will culminate at 3 p.m. at the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio, where Hall will be formally welcomed home in a grand civic celebration. And organisers are calling on Portlanders and Jamaicans everywhere to make the occasion unmistakably Jamaican.

“Come out in your Jamaican colours.”

Hall’s victory has already captured national attention. She emerged from a field of 33 contestants, winning five sectional awards along the way: Essence of Style, Best in Swimwear, Best in Evening Gown, Most Aware and the Altruism Award, before ultimately claiming the national crown.

But, for Hall, the significance of the moment extends far beyond the pageant stage.

A graduate of Titchfield High School, the Port Antonio resident has built a career in shipping and logistics while pursuing her passions for art, philanthropy and community development. She is also the founder of the Hummingbird Effect Foundation, through which she has been championing community outreach and educational initiatives.

Her story is, in many ways, a Portland story, one of ambition, community, family and perseverance. Her parents, Victor and Sonia Hall, were among the family members and supporters who travelled to Kingston for her coronation, making her historic victory a deeply personal moment for the Hall family and the parish that watched her journey unfold.

Now, with the national crown secured, Hall’s mission becomes even bigger.

In November, Hall is expected to represent Jamaica at the 75th Miss Universe competition in Puerto Rico, stepping onto one of the world’s most recognised international stages.

Her homecoming therefore represents more than the traditional return of a beauty queen. It is the beginning of a national send-off. From the streets of Portland to the international spotlight, Hall will carry with her the people, culture and spirit of the parish that first believed in her.

“I went from representing Portland, the parish that raised me, to being entrusted with representing an entire country,” Hall recently reflected.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com