Reggae Sumfest 2021 In High Demand As The World Reopens
Written by RasMahddy on May 25, 2021
(reggaevibemedia.com) – Reggae Sumfest, Jamaica’s premier reggae and dancehall festival, will not be held this year in virtual form. The organizers, on the other hand, are ready to claim the Heroes Weekend in October as their own, rather than the annual summer date in July, if the entertainment industry opens up “enthusiastically.”Reggae Sumfest, Jamaica’s premier reggae and dancehall festival, will not be held this year in virtual form. The organizers, on the other hand, are ready to claim the Heroes Weekend in October as their own, rather than the annual summer date in July, if the entertainment industry opens up “enthusiastically.”
The COVID-19 pandemic forced DownSound Entertainment to stage a completely virtual version of Reggae Sumfest last year, using social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube at the same time. In a statement, Downsound said that the global response had surpassed all expectations.
Joe Bogdanovich, executive producer of Sumfest and chairman and CEO of Downsound Entertainment, is now firmly focused on the 2021 idea of the annual reggae festival, with the popularity of that bold and costly venture behind him.
βThe pandemic is still going on, and we [Jamaica] don’t have enough vaccines, so that’s the problem,β he says. We plan to stage Reggae Sumfest in October during Heroes Day weekend, and we want to do it live, whether it’s for 2,000 or 20,000 people per night. βThere is no money in the virtual world, and people aren’t particularly fond of it, especially when other countries open up,β he explained.
Aside from Bogdanovich’s lack of interest in virtual reality, there are no plans to move the festival from Jamaica to another country.
βPeople are calling from all over the world asking if we’re going to hold the festival in Jamaica,β he said. There is a lot of trepidation about enthusiastically opening up entertainment, but America is free, as are many other nations. However, unlike some others, we are not fleeing to Florida. βIt’s our music, our festival, our roots,β Bogdanovich said, his voice beaming as he casually recited the patriotic tagline of Reggae Sumfest.
Bogdanovich stated that he and his team have been ready to go into full production mode for the 2021 edition of Reggae Sumfest since March, and that he has been patiently waiting for some good news, despite the sector’s continued uncertainty.
The festival’s organizer claims he’s trying to meet with the powers that be while still doing “a lot of things to keep dancehall alive.” Ex Team Spice dancers Tashlicka βQuite Pretty’ Laird, Keticia βTC’ Chatman, and Christina βDancing Rebel’ Nelson have collaborated on Dancehall Life.
Bogdanovich, through Downsound Entertainment, executive produces the YouTube series, which went viral after its debut a few weeks ago.
On the 24th and 25th of July, DownSound Entertainment broadcasted a virtual version of Reggae Sumfest 2020 with all-new live performances and material.