Reggae Sumfest promises more than its main show nights

Since announcing the inclusion of the Appleton Estate Rum Festival in partnership with Blitz, organisers of Reggae Sumfest have been making a great effort to ensure patrons know that the event has more to offer than just two main show nights.

CEO of Downsound Entertainment and producer of Reggae Sumfest, Josef Bogdanovich, shared that since taking over the reins of the festival, he and his team have placed all efforts to ensure the festival is remembered beyond the performance nights.

“The team has put a lot of emphasis on the pre-events this year and it has been met with a lot of excitement so far. We want to make the festival experience an overall better one for the patrons and so the whole city will come alive for the entire week,” Bogdanovich said.

Similar to last year, organisers will commence this year’s week of events with the Family Fun Day on Sunday, July 14. This event will be free to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and promises to be loads of fun for the entire family. According to Bogdanovich, “Reggae Sumfest is as excited about community and family as it is about music.”

He added that “The beauty of this is to see the whole thing come together to showcase what matters to the country. It’s a real experience that you can feel in your hearts and minds. I think patrons are becoming more aware of that and they’re looking forward to more fun [and] more parties.”

Karla Jankee, head of marketing and special events at Downsound Entertainment and Reggae Sumfest, said the event will also be geared towards giving back to the community.

“We will have free medical, dental and optical which seeks to cater to everybody, regardless of their age, at the Family Fun Day. We will also have an adult village where parents can go and unwind while the kids enjoy free rides all day. We will also have live performances and a lot of giveaways courtesy of our amazing sponsors. This initiative is in partnership with the St James Municipal Corporation, headed by Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon,” Jankee said.

She added that the team wants people to know that the festival includes eight events over seven days, culminating into one festival experience.

Highlighting a few of the pre-events, Jankee said, “We will have the Global Sound Clash powered by Magnum, which is on Wednesday this year, and for the first time ever we’re going to have a female contestant in Bad Gal Marie. We [will also] have sounds coming from Germany, Japan and South Sudan.”

RumFest Blitz – presented by Appleton Estate – promises to be a festival within the festival.

“We will have a special performance at RumFest from Beenie Man, who will be performing as Moses Davis in a way we have never seen before. It will just be the excellence of Jamaica – food, rum, fashion, dance, music, lifestyle, all coming together. Walshy Fire of Major Lazer, Franco, Brush 1 and DJ Ashile will also be bringing the heat at Blitz along with the a few JWN DJs.”

Other pre-events leading up to the main show nights include the All-White party and Street Dance.

Another major part of the week’s line-up will be the locally featured artisans and food vendors from Montego Bay and other parts of the island.