Sumfest- The Heart-throb of Summer

 

THE FOUR GREATEST NIGHTS THIS SUMMER

 

Saturday, July 17

Beach Party, Cornwall Beach

Gates open @ 10:00 a.m.

Errol Lee & The Bare Essentials, Brown Sugar, Press Fyah, Bumpa, DJ Bambino, DJ Baby Thug, Danger Zone

 

Thursday, July 22
Catherine Hall, Montego Bay

Guinness Dancehall Night

Gates open at 7p.m.

Show Time 7:30 p.m. 

Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Elephant Man, Spice, I-Octane, Demarco, Kiprich, Konshens, D’Angel, Assassin, Ce’Cile, Voicemail, Chino, Ding Dong, Khago, G-Mac, Tifa, Besenta, Chumps, Dada, King UJah, Taz

Friday, July 23
Catherine Hall, Montego Bay

International Night

Gates Open @ 7p.m.

Show Time 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $4700 Presold | $5,000 Gate 

Chris Brown, Jah Cure, Queen Ifrica, Etana, Tony Rebel, Gyptian, Hezron, Steele, Lymie Murray, Sophia Squire, Macka Conscious

 

Saturday, July 24
Catherine Hall, Montego Bay

International Night

Gates Open @ 7p.m.

Show Time 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $4700 Presold | $5,000 Gate 

Usher, Shaggy, Beenie Man, Tarrus Riley, Gramps Morgan, Chris Martin, Protoje, Richie Loop, Zamunda, Ras Penco, QQ, Fire Lion & Ferrari

The Ultimate Reggae Experience

 

Like bees to a hive, thousands of patrons flock to Montego Bay for the most anticipated reggae event of the summer. Reggae Sumfest has made a name for itself, but where did it all begin? The first staging of Reggae Sumfest took place from August 11 – 14, 1993 as a way of filling the void of the then reggae festival Reggae Sunsplash. Since then the festival has grown from strength to strength and is now widely regarded as the world’s premier reggae music event. Staged annually in Montego Bay, Reggae Sumfest is Jamaica’s only weeklong music festival dedicated to promoting our indigenous art form while also promoting the island as a vacation destination.

In 2001, Red Stripe and Summerfest Productions Ltd. brokered a partnership and the event’s name was changed to Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest. A marriage of two of the country’s leading promoters of Jamaica’s musical heritage. In 2008 Red Stripe took a corporate decision, not to be Title Sponsor of the festival. Other corporate sponsors of the festival have included the Jamaica Tourist Board, Air Jamaica, Digicel, Ocean Spray, Coca Cola, Vitamin Water, BET J, Appleton Jamaica Rum, Cable & Wireless, Continental Airlines, Big Yard Music, VP Records, Pepsi, Coca Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The company has seen it fit to extend the reach of the festival as 2003 saw Reggae Sumfest going overseas with a mini tour to Antigua, Guyana and Trinidad during the month of April. On May 25, 2003 the first annual Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest Miami was held at Bicentennial Park and featured Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Wayne Wonder and Lady Saw alongside US based stars Wyclef Jean and Lil Kim.

Since inception the company’s motto has been “Promoting Music, the Universal Force”. And with the variety of Local and International acts have been successfully incorporated into the line ups annually, they promoters of Reggae Sumfest have used music as a medium for integration

 

 

Reggae Times looked at the 10th staging of Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest, Article as published in Reggae Times  Magazine,Volume 3, Number 8.

10 Years LaterRed Stripe Reggae Sumfest Rolls On…  Montego Bay will resound with the sweet sounds of reggae music on July 21, as Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest begins with a bang in the second city. The week-long festival, which continues to hold its own in this harsh economic climate, still, manages to showcase the best of best from across every genre of Jamaican music to thousands of patrons each year.Now in its tenth year, Sumfest is moving full speed ahead and it’s “all about the positives otherwise, we would not be putting on the show,” Sumfest director Johnny Gourzong, told Reggae Times. Speaking of on the overall production Gourzong said; “Nobody else does what we do, nobody else presents what we present each year. We are unsurpassed, not only in Jamaica, but in the Caribbean.” But while we welcome the positives of the festival, there is no escaping the issue of expletives on stage, a sore point which had authorities leafing through old laws last summer.Following the Dancehall Night fiasco at last year’s festival, which saw top deejays Merciless, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man mouthing off and an ensuing bottle-throwing incident which brought Dancehall Night to an abrupt end, a can of worms were opened. Authorities decided it was time to reinstate a clause in the Town and Communities Act which prohibits the use of expletives (and other vulgar behaviour), following upon which several deejays found themselves in court answering charges. The most prominent of theses was the case of popular deejay Alozade who was sentenced to a six-month jail term after he got into an altercation with a police officer in court while answering profanity charges. A clause which accommodates the reinforced law has been added to Red Stripe Sumfest’s artiste contract, prohibiting the use of curse words and other types of demeaning lyrics. The clause bars the artiste from (i) any feud with another artiste… (ii) threatening, vilifying, and berating any artiste… (iii) Use of offensive language. (iv) Lyrics that denigrate women, ethnic and social groups.Gourzong says that so far, all the artistes on the line-up and their management have been very cooperative, emphasizing that last year’s Dancehall night melee, was a deviation from the norm. The incident, he said, was very unfortunate and corrective measures and safeguards had been implemented to ensure that there is no re-occurrence at this year’s or future festivals. Gourzong explained that while the law had to be respected, we as a people should also be careful about expletives and not fall into the trap of being hypocrites. “Let’s not get overly excited about it. We will only succeed in damaging our entertainment for good and looking like we are backward.” He referred to the fact that jargon curse words are a part of our culture and is used by practically everyone, but in varying contexts, he said. From expressing delight or humour to joy and anger.Speaking on the issue of the artistes with long-standing conflicts not being booked to perform on the same night, a resolution which Sumfest organisers had committed to, Gourzong confirmed that this rule was firmly in place. At  a press conference last year to announce changes for this year’s festival, organizers said that artistes would be paid the remaining 50 percent of their fees only after their performances and this has apparently posed no problems with the negotiations.Security at the Catherine Hall venue will be beefed up with a strong Police and private security presence, Gourzong told Reggae Times adding that many people, who in the past had back stage access, would now be excluded from backstage and technical areas. He apologized for any offence this new rule might cause but said this measure was taken for security reasons. “We can’t take any risk, no chances,” he said.

 ARTISTS SLATED FOR THIS YEAR’S REGGAE SUMFEST

USHER

CHRIS BROWN

SHAGGY

BEENIE MAN

BOUNTY KILLER

ANGEL

ELEPHANT MAN

MOVADO

TARRUS RILEY

ETANA

KONSHENS

QUEEN IFRICA

GYPTIAN

 I-OCTANE

JAH CURE

CECILE

STACIOUS