Celebrating the greatest reggae show on Earth

Reggae Sumfest was born 17 years ago when an ambitious group of music lovers and businessmen from Montego Bay came together to stage what is now the greatest reggae show on Earth.

That first year, we worked tirelessly for nearly five months to establish a venue, literally out of a swamp on the outskirts of Montego Bay. With determination, fuelled by a great deal of optimism and some good fortune, we were able to bring together a stellar group of performers which included our home-grown stars Bounty Killer and Beenie Man and international artistes Ben E. King and Percy Sledge. The show held in August was a resounding success, pulling over the four nights a total audience of approximately 30,000.

Over the next 17 years Reggae Sumfest grew from strength to strength presenting the who is who of reggae and dancehall music, and top international hip hop and R&B artistes.

As we now celebrate our 18th year, we recognise, celebrate and are grateful to all the individuals, organisations and loyal patrons, whose tremendous support has allowed us to achieve and hold on to our dream.

We are proud of our achievements in setting this show as a standard by which all others are measured. The festival prides itself on the high calibre performances, the tight stage management and the state-of-the-art audio and lighting, supported by many professionals who have dedicated their time and loyalty to the event. We take time out to thank them for their invaluable support.

As we approach nearly two decades of Reggae Sumfest, we look forward to nurturing and watching many more young artistes as they cross our paths on the Sumfest stage, and to continuing to deliver first-class entertainment to our audiences for many more years to come.