The LargeUp Guide to The Summer’s Best Music Festivals

Words by Jesse Serwer and Erin MacLeod

Photo: Reggae Summerjam

Summer couldn’t come any sooner this year. Springtime, which usually brings us sunshine, flowers and other pleasantries, has this year decided to claim some of our most irreplaceable talents and hand us some of the coldest temperatures we can ever recall experiencing at this time of year. Fortunately, it has to get better soon; we know this because the summer festival season is about to be upon us.

If you’re a lover of reggae and other island sounds who doesn’t get to live year-round in the Caribbean, summer is your time of year. This is especially true in Europe and the United States, where you can find your way to worthy open-air fests just about any weekend between late May and early September. And, while most major music events in the Caribbean itself tend to take place in the winter months, the summer brings a handful of great ones to the region, including the St. Kitts Music Festival and Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica.

To get you prepped for the season, here’s our annual look at the summer’s best Caribbean-focused music festivals.

Start the list here.

California Roots Music & Arts Festival (May 27-29; Monterey, Calif.)
Photo: Josue Rivas

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the summer in the States and naturally there’s some great ways to ring it in with reggae. Now in its seventh year, the California Roots Music & Art Festival brings some 40,000 people to the Monterey Fairgrounds, on California’s central coast, over the three-day weekend. Cali Roots is known for bringing out the biggest names in U.S.-based reggae and this year they’ve booked a heavyweight Jamaican lineup, too, including Damian “Jr Gong” Marley, Stephen Marley, Tarrus Riley, Protoje, Barrington Levy and Raging Fyah. Other headliners include Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, J. Boog and The Green. Cali Roots also has its own beer and its own mobile app, and is one of the most environmentally proactive fests of its size, a “zero waste” event where everything is recyclable and compostable.

Best of the Best (Miami; May 29)
Photo: Ralph Ventura

For the last decade, Best of the Best has lived up to its name as the top dancehall festival in the U.S. You can always count on this one-day show at Miami’s Bayfront Park to bring out a mixture of current stars, veterans you don’t get to see every day, soca acts, and even a few Bahamian and Haitian artists. This year’s 10th anniversary edition is headlined by Beres Hammond and also features Cham, Cocoa Tea, Mr. Vegas, Christopher Martin, Kranium, Nesbeth, Vershon, Half Pint, Little John, Lady G. and a trio of Trini soca queens in Destra, Patrice Roberts and Denise Belfon. Always bringing the vibes are Best of the Best are its constantly rotating crew of entertaining hosts, which this year includes Caribbean comedy king, Majah Hype, among too many others to name.

Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (Boonville, Calif.; June 17-19)

Photo: Lee Abel

Another great way to kick off the summer in Cali is a trip up to the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival out in Medocino County, near Ukiah. Beres Hammond, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Alpha Blondy, Don Carlos, Cocoa Tea, Richie Spice, Inner Circle, Israel Vibration, Tanya Stephens and Kabaka Pyramid highlight the list of performers at this year’s edition. The biggest attraction, lineup-wise, is the long-awaited return to the stage of Toots, sidelined for four years following injuries sustained from a bottle-throwing incident in Virginia. Toots is slated to make several performances this year, including the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise in the fall, but this will be his first time taking the stage since that unfortunate incident.

St. Kitts Music Festival (Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 23-25)

The Eastern Caribbean is home to various world-class music festivals over the course of the year — Moonsplash in Anguilla and St. Lucia Jazz Fest in the spring; the World Creole Music Festival in Dominica in October. But there are not many in the summer. with the exception of the St. Kitts Music Festival. As usual, this year’s lineup is a diverse one, with reggae stars Damian Marley, Tarrus Riley, Morgan Heritage and Dexta Daps set to perform along with 50 Cent, The O’Jays, El Mayor Clasico and St. Kitts’ own Crucial Bankie, as well as Eastern Caribbean supergroup, The Original Bouyon Pioneers. We’re definitely looking forward to making it down to St. Kitts one of these times.

Reggae Summerjam (Cologne, Germany; July 1-3)

Photo: Reggae Summerjam

Few reggae-centric festivals draw more massive crowds than Reggae Summerjam, one of the biggest annual concerts in the German music mecca of Cologne. The fest, which last year celebrated its 30th anniversary, is back at it this year with a lineup that includes Chronixx, Collie Buddz, Morgan Heritage, Sean Paul, Christopher Martin, Raging Fyah, Alborosie, Afrobeats ambassadors Fuse ODG and DJ Edu, and a collaborative set from hometown hero Gentleman with Ky-mani Marley.

Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival New York (Queens, NY; July 17)

Photo: Justin Pallack

An extension of the original Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival held in Florida in November, the New York edition has become the largest event of its kind, bringing in crowds of close to 20,000 to Roy Wilkins Park in Queens. Jamaica’s favorite seasoning — applied by vendors on everything from the traditional chicken and pork to lobster, popcorn and ice cream — is of course the big attraction at this family-friendly celebration. However, we’ve come to expect a mixture of top-flight reggae, dancehall and soca performers and this year will be no different, with Third World, Gyptian, Ikaya, Bunji Garlin, Fay Ann Lyons and comedian Boasy Boy Floyd set to take the stage, and more guests TBA. The Jerk Fest’s organizers have added a third event to their calendar as well for this summer: the inaugural D.C. Jerk Festival happens on Sunday, June 19th on Pennsylvania Avenue downtown.

Reggae Sumfest (Montego Bay, Jamaica; July 17-23)

Source: Reggae Sumfest

Reggae Sumfest has been around for nearly a quarter century, and there have been many changes in its long tenure. Always held on the north coast of Jamaica, it’s a festival that is particularly convenient given its proximity to a range of hotel and resort options. The grounds are expansive and the food and beverage options offer more than enough Red Stripe, rum, and jerk to keep everyone happy. There is a new showrunner this year in the form of Downsound Entertainment, and this being one of Jamaica’s flagship events, the new administration is sure to pull out all the stops. Sumfest has featured international evenings with visiting artists in the past, such as Nicki Minaj and R. Kelly, but festivalgoers will be provided with a fully Jamaican lineup this time around. (We’re still awaiting this year’s lineup announcement, set for later this week). There will be a reggae night and a dancehall night, both with heaps of artists that will ensure that the entertainment will surely last all night and into the following day!

Reggae on the River (Aug 4-7, Garberville, Calif.)
Photo: Lee Abel

Reggae on the River is the USA’s longest-running reggae festival, and many would say its best — a fiercely independent Humboldt County, California tradition known for its overnight camping and eclectic, organic vibe. For a bit of ROTR history, check out our 2015 feature, “30 Years of Photos from Reggae on the River.” This year’s edition features one of the most exciting rosters in years, with a great mixture of up-and-coming and veteran reggae talent that includes Kranium, Assassin, Anthony B, Big Youth, Soul Syndicate, U-Roy, Protoje, Randy Valentine, Yellowman, Jesse Royal, Gappy Ranks, Jah9, No-Maddz, Mr. Williamz, Suns of Dub and, in what would be his first U.S. appearance in over seven years, Sizzla.

Reggae Sun Ska (Bordeaux, France, August 5-7)

While Reggae on the River is happening up in California’s green country, Reggae Sun Ska will be unfolding in the famed French wine basket of Bordeaux. This year’s Sun Ska lineup consists largely of French acts, many we’re unfamiliar with, but there are a few big-name Jamaican acts mixed in, including Damian Marley, Inner Circle and Tarrus Riley, as well as Italy’s Alborosie. Reviews for this festival are always stellar, so if you’re planning a trip to France this summer, it’s definitely worth considering a detour to Bordeaux.

Boomtown Fair (Winchester, England; August 11-14)

Source: Boomtown Fair

Unfolding over four days on the stately premises of Matterley Estate near Southampton, England, Boomtown Fair is one of the U.K.’s most eclectic and colorful music festivals, attracting ravers of all ages. Headliners this year include Damian Marley, second-wave ska kingpins Madness and U.K. EDM pioneers Leftfield. Boomtown Fair presents everything from trance to folk music across nine different, individually-themed stages, but it’s probably reggae where the festival is strongest. Featured on the reggae-centric Lion’s Den stage this year are Tarrus Riley, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Inner Circle, Tanya Stephens, Kabaka Pyramid, Morgan Heritage, Junior Kelly and “Showtime,” a tribute to U.K. soundsystem culture presented by The Heatwave featuring such British bashment icons as Tippa Irie, General Levy and Flowdan.

Rototom Sunsplash (Benicassim, Spain, August 13-20)
Photo: Luca d’Agostino

Rototom Sunsplash is the most renowned of all European reggae festivals, celebrated as much for its distinctive culture — art symposiums, sustainability programs, yoga workshops — as it is for its top-notch artist lineups. This year’s acts include Damian Marley, Beres Hammond, Alborosie, Inner Circle, Jah9, Assassin, Marcia Griffiths, Kabaka Pyramid, Junior Kelly, Manu Chao and Randy Valentine, as well as some exciting collaborative sets: Tarrus Riley featuring Alaine and Dean Frazer, Freddie McGregor featuring sons Chino and Stephen McGregor, and Israel Vibration backed by the Roots Radics. As always, some of the reggae world’s greatest DJs and sound systems — Bass Odyssey, Jah Shaka, Renaissance Disco, will be keeping the vibes going all week long. If you’ve never been to a Sunsplash, this is one definitely worth crossing the Atlantic for.

Montreal International Reggae Festival (Montreal; August 26-28)
Photo: Marc Bruxelle.com

It’s edition number lucky thirteen for the Montreal International Reggae Festival, happening at the tail end of the summer. The location of the fest is in the Old Port of the city, which is a little piece of Europe in North America. Right on the water, it makes for an excellent and vibrant atmosphere, not to mention really good sound. So far Barrington Levy and Cocoa Tea have been confirmed, but Montreal’s organizers always have a roster of heavy hitters–they’ve hosted everyone and every genre of reggae from mento to dancehall and Beres Hammond to Yellowman, and this year will certainly be no exception. The fest also provides a showcase of Canadian acts from across the country as well as some excellent local soundsystems and DJs. This hasn’t become the largest reggae event in Canada for nothing.

Philadelphia Jerk Festival (Aug. 28th)

Pennsylvania has its own Caribbean music and food festival now, too. The second staging of the Philadelphia Jerk Festival features reggae legend Luciano, dancehall star Assassin and soca duo Leadpipe + Saddis, among others, along with jerk specialists and other vendors from around the region, at Philly’s Fairmount Park on August 28th. Jerk cheesesteaks, anyone?

Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival (Willemsted, Curacao; Sept. 1-3)

Source: Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival

Depending on how you look at things, the first weekend of September is either the last weekend of summer, or the start of fall. If you’ve planned things well enough to be in Willemsted during the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival, we’re willing to bet you probably fall into the former camp. A Caribbean spinoff of the North Sea Jazz Festival held in the Netherlands since 1975, Curacao North Sea Jazz is first and foremost a jazz festival, albeit one that leans more towards the genre’s easy listening side. You can count on a handful of jazz greats at each edition, mixed in with a diverse selection of international artists from many different genres. Representing the Caribbean this year are zouk pioneers Kassav’; Our Cuban Affair, an all-star salsa and timba band organized just for the festival by producer Sergio George; and Lenny Kravitz (did you know he’s half Bahamian?). Also set to perform are Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin, Burt Bacharach, Tom Jones, Branford Marsalis and Al Jarreau.

One Love Festival (Essex, England; Sept. 2-4)

Ending the summer on a high note is the One Love Festival, inspired by the original One Love Peace Concert held in Kingston, Jamaica. “The U.K.’s No. 1 reggae and dub camping festival” this year returns to Hainault Forest Country Park, just outside London in Essex, England, the site of its 2010 and 2011 editions. We’re definitely digging the lineup, which features Lee “Scratch” Perry, Junior Reid, Big Youth, Half Pint, Kabaka Pyramid, Max Romeo, The Congos, the Gladiators, Sister Nancy and Jah9. As usual, One Love has done a great job of rounding up the reggae veterans who call England home; among them this year are Brinsley Forde, Capitol Letters, Bunny Lee, Dennis Bovell with Roger Robinson, and just about all of London’s iconic sound systems, a few of whom will be competing in an eight-entrant “Clash of the Titans.” The biggest of them all, Saxon Studio, will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special One Love Festival session, featuring the sprawling sound’s full lineup of selectors and MCs.