Check out our list of the Summer Reggae Festivals of the year
While some of us are freezing this winter in the northern hemisphere, others are getting ready for carnival in the Caribbean. The summer may seem far but it’s never to late to prepare some vacation. From the end of June, until the end of August, Reggae festivals are held here, and there.
Below, we have listed some of the Summer Reggae Festivals of the year, that we have heard of, or covered in the past.
SummerJam, Germany
- Date: July 3rd-5th, 2020
- Venue: Fühlinger See, Köln, Germany
- Starring: Shaggy Sean Paul, Tarrus Riley, Max Romeo, Spice, Stefflon Don, Lila Ike…
We have already covered this event a couple times in the past (2014 | 2015 | 2016). The venue, located near the lakes of Fuhlinger See is quite nice. The only downside of this festival is the fact that the sound system stage is really far away from the main stage… In my memory, it took about 15 minutes to reach the sound system stage.
Dub Camp Festival, France
- Date: July 9th-12th, 2020
- Venue: Lac de Vioreau, Joué-sur-Erdre, France
- Starring: Twinkle Brothers, Vivian Jones, Queen Omega, Jah Observer…
Reggae Sumfest, Jamaica
- Date: July 12th-18th, 2020
- Venue: Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Starring: Buju Banton, Spice, Koffee, Bounty Killer…
Uppsala Reggae Festival, Sweden
- Date: July 31st-August 1st, 2020
- Venue: Uppsala, Sweden
- Starring: Max Romeo, Lukie D, Morgan Heritage, Million Stylez, Junior Kelly…
Bagnols Reggae Festival, France
- Date: July 24th-26th, 2020
- Venue: Parc Arthur Rimbaud, Bagnols-sur-Cèze
- Starring: Twinkle Brothers, Queen Omega, Chezidek, Steel Pulse, Glen Washington, Mad Professor…
Ruhr Reggae Summer, Germany
- Date: July 19th-21st, 2020
- Venue: Ruhrstadion, Mülheim, Germany
- Starring: Damian Marley, Koffee, Protoje, Anthony B…
Reggae Geel, Belgium
- Date: August 2nd-3rd, 2020
- Venue: Geel, Belgium
- Line-up: TBA
We have covered this festival twice (2016 | 2019). It’s the festival we liked the most, due to its small size. In 2 days, you get to see loads of artists that you like. Besides, it’s one of the rare European festivals to feature Dancehall artists on the main stage. If you really want to have fun, we recommend you to check the Dancehall sound system stage, it gets really crazy!
Reggae Jam, Germany
- Date: August 2nd-4th, 2020
- Venue: Bersenbrück, Germany
- Line-up: TBA
No Logo Festival, France
- Date: August 14th-16th, 2020
- Venue: Fraisans, France
- Starring: Ken Boothe, Clinton Fearon, Third World…
Rototom Sunsplash, Spain
- Date: August 16th-22nd, 2020
- Venue: Benicassim, Spain
- Starring: Toots & The Maytals, Barrington Levy, Protoje, Cliton Fearon, Inna De Yard, more TBA…
We have already covered this festival in the past (2013 | 2018). The site is really great, though it’s huge. Besides, it lasts 7 days, I never stayed a full week, because it’s too much for me. But if you take time to organize yourself, you can take some vacation time, and go to the beach, then enjoy some Reggae music at night. It also features interesting forums, I met the activist Rigoberta Menchu who won a Nobel Prize in 1992, over there.
Notting Hill Carnival, UK
- Date: August 30th-September 1st, 2020
- Venue: London, Great Britain
We haven’t been there yet, and it’s not really a festival like others. It’s a huge carnival featuring sound systems,.