dancehall | Reggae Sumfest

TICKETS GOING

According to Bogdanovich, tickets for this year’s festival are going so well that he and his team are thinking of adding another section to the grounds to meet demands.

“I am now thinking of building a whole new seating area, and it’s gonna be called the Golden Triangle. It will be for the more luxurious crowd. But all that will be discussed in another week or less because we are in the designing phase right now. I think we’re attracting more people this year than any other year, and we want to be prepared for that.”

Bogdanovich’s points are supported by statistics presented by Delano Seiveright, senior adviser/strategist in the Ministry of Tourism.

Seiveright told THE WEEKEND STAR that he has already seen increases in the number of hotel bookings for this year compared to the same period last year. He also said there has been an increase in the number of tourists who have booked flights to the island this summer.

“It is important to note that seat capacity for the destination this summer is 1,400,371 which is 108,872 or 8.4% more than 2018. The biggest growth is from the United States, which shows an increase of over 100,000 seats for the summer period (May through August 2019), compared with the same period in 2018,” he said.

“Jamaica has been experiencing very strong growth in tourist arrivals in recent times. This as a result of the multiple strategies pursued by the Ministry of Tourism and its agencies. Sumfest this year is mega, and already many hotels and other accommodations are reporting very high bookings, some of which is attributed to Reggae Sumfest.”

And for those who are yet to book hotel rooms, Seiveright is encouraging them to explore the Airbnb option and look beyond Montego Bay for accommodation.

Ebony Magazine named five music festivals staged in Caribbean countries that should not be missed. Music lovers are likely to know about events like Coachella and Made in America, but fans who are looking for a unique experience can travel to the Caribbean and enjoy the excellent performances and star power of stars like Buju Banton and John Legend. Among these top five events was Jamaica’s annual Reggae Sumfest, which is a favorite of reggae and dancehall fans. Held in Montego Bay, Sumfest will be staged from July 14 through 20, 209. Performers at Sumfest in 2019 will include legends like Spragga Benz and Elephant Man along with the star of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta Spice. Past stagings of Sumfest have included reggae and dancehall icons Vybz Kartel, Bounty Killa, Mavado, Gyptian, Lady Saw, Beenie Man, Missy Elliott among others.

Other Caribbean music festivals included in Ebony’s Magazine Top 5 are as follows.

The Music Festival in St. Lucia, which is one of the largest I the region. It runs from May 4 through 12, 2019, and is in its third year. It will feature Russell Hall, Ledisi, Etienne Charles and Patrick Bartley.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019, New York, NY & Jamaica – Downsound Entertainment, organizers of Reggae Sumfest, revealed dancehall legends Beenie Man and Bounty Killer would be performing together on the Sumfest stage on Festival Night 1, July 19, 2019. “Beenie and Bounty are icons of Reggae Sumfest. Known for their high energy, witty lyrics, and outstanding stage presence, they will perform tune for tune, singing songs from different genres through the ages. They will show everyone the skill and talent that’s kept them at the top of the dancehall scene for over two decades,” said Cordell “Skatta” Burrell, of Downsound Entertainment. He was speaking at the New York launch of Reggae Sumfest held at the awesome Bogart House venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn recently.Sumfest boss, Joe Bogdanovich reconfirmed that Reggae Sumfest 2019 will continue to be the most awesome reggae show on earth and fans would be entertained as never before with a week of fabulous parties, outstanding artists, all in all a fantastic feast of Jamaican music, food and culture!The full line up of events and artists for this year’s festival was announced during the New York launch which included brief but insightful messages from Sara Young, Airport Manager for the presenting sponsor Caribbean Airlines, and Philip Rose, Regional Director USA for the Jamaica Tourism Board. Both expressed their confidence in the fact that flights and rooms are expected to be full for Reggae Sumfest. Ms Young also revealed special fares were being offered on the airline to travel to Jamaica for the festival. Spragga Benz wrapped up the formalities and led the crowd into a scintillating performance, which thrilled the crowd with some of his new releases and old favorites. Spragga Benz will be featured on Festival Night 1, July 19.

The launch was a true Jamaican style party, with pulsating dancehall and reggae rhythms and Jamaican food including jerk chicken, mannish water and traditional sweets such as gizzadas. “This year our tagline is “Come Experience our Culture” explained Karla Jankee of DownSound Entertainment. “And so in every event we want to make sure that some part of the Jamaican culture is represented for our visitors to enjoy. It was very important to make sure this New York launch was also representative of that,” she said. The vibe was kept high with DJ Madout expertly weaving between reggae and dancehall and between old and new, while also keeping the Caribbean spirit alive with a touch of soca.

Happy with the success of the launch, the Sumfest team will return to the island for the celebration of carnival by Reggae Sumfest with their costumed band Dancehall Queen.

Patrons can access updates on the line-up, tickets and events on the official website www.reggaesumfest.com and @reggaesumfest for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

A Huge Success for this Dancehall Night

By Steve James for United Reggae — August 6th, 2018

Some of the biggest dancehall entertainers in the business turned out for this year’s staging of Reggae Sumfest 2018 Dancehall Night which was held at Catherine Hall, Montego Bay on July 20, 2018. The show started promptly at 7pm. The audience were treated to performances by new Ghanaian sensation Stonebwoy. On the heels of his upcoming album Hope River and though he came on early in the lineup, Sasco delivered a commanding performance. Bounty Killer delivered his usual high energy performance with his stinging social commentary. The audience went wild and stayed with him throughout his set. Spice who was fully decked in her Wakanda inspired outfit also delivered a very entertaining perfromance. Great performances were also done by Sizzla, I Octane, Ding Dong and Ravers Clavers. Aidonia and Masicka were among the other acts that performed.

There was no question that each artiste who performed came to deliver in their best, and that they did. Popcaan who performed in the early hours of Saturday morning was joined on stage by Dre Island to sing their hit single, We Pray. Dancehall night was fittingly closed with a ‘Mobay Tribute’ which included Rygin King, Teejay & Tommy Lee Sparta.

Check out these photos of the show.