Reggae Music Festivals

Born in Jamaica in the 1960s, reggae music has become one of the most recognisable and influential genres of the last 50 years, and its global popularity today is testament to the legacy of those early pioneers.

Having developed from the styles of ska and rocksteady that were popular in the late 50s and early 60s, the new characteristically Caribbean genre took on a style of its own with the likes of Bob Marley & The Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, Toots and the Maytals, and Lee 'Scratch' Perry taking the sound to a wider global audience.

Now, newer artists like Sean Paul, Popcaan, Vybz Kartel, Damian Marley, Chronixx and Protoje have become hugely popular names across the world. The genre has also gone on to shape a hugely diverse array of genres including dub, dancehall, ragga, reggaeton, jungle, dubstep, drum and bass, garage, grime, 2 Tone, punk, pop and more.

And now, there are hundreds of reggae festivals across the world celebrating the music, ethos and culture of the genre. Notable European examples include Rototom Sunsplash and International Dub Gathering in Spain, Médoc Sun Ska (perviously known as Reggae Sun Ska) in France, Uprising Festival in Slovakia and Summerjam in Germany; while the likes of Reggae Sumfest fly the flag in the genre's spiritual home of Jamaica.