Posted on 7th Jun 2011 @ 11:26 AM

Reggae Sumfest, first staged in 1993, is an annual week-long music festival primarily dedicated to promoting Jamaica’s indigenous art form-reggae music.  The festival takes place in Montego Bay during the first week of August.

Over the years, the event has showcased the best acts in reggae music.  These include Maxi Priest, Shaggy, Steel Pulse, Beres Hammond, Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers, Diana King, Third World, Beenie Man, Bunny Wailer, Inner Circle, the late Dennis Brown and Garnet Silk.  Also Gregory Isaacs, Tony Rebel, Morgan Heritage, Ini Kamoze, Bounty Killer, Capleton, Buju Banton. Shabba Ranks, Mr. Vegas, Mr. Lex and many others.  The festival has also featured artistes of the rhythm and blues genre, such as Boyz ll Men, K-Ci & JoJo, Dru Hill, the Temptations, Ben E. King, The Manhattans, Cuba Gooding and the Main Ingredients and Brownstone.

Since its inception, the main focus of Reggae Sumfest has been to expose and promote Jamaica’s unique music to the world.  The festival has also helped to further expose Jamaica as a Tourist destination and generates economic activity throughout the country, thereby improving the foreign exchange earning potential of the island.

Annually, the event plays hosts to approximately $50,000 patrons and during Reggae Sumfest week, hotels in and around Montego Bay enjoy full occupancy.  Airlines are solidly booked and the positive impact of the event is felt throughout western Jamaica, benefiting taxi operators, craft vendors, tour operators, restaurant, and night clubs.  Through its partnership with Jamaica Tourist Board and the national carrier, Air Jamaica, Reggae Sumfest continues to be an ambassador for the island throughout the world.

Reggae Sumfest has now cemented itself as the reggae festival of choice and has earned an enviable reputation of presenting state of the art audio and lighting over the years, the event has hosted as many as 200 overseas press personnel and has been covered by international media houses such as Much Music, MTV, VH-1 Europe, Billboard, VIBE, BEAT, Rolling Stone, BBC and many others.