The Toronto Reggae Festival Season Wrap-Up

Reggae music is a sunshine music. The rhythms envelop you like the sun when you step out on a sunny day. Unfortunately here in Toronto we don't get much sun. Since no one really associates reggae with winter, we jam pack as much reggae music into the little sunshine time we get each year. 

After that the snow falls and its kind of hard to convince reggae artists and fans to come out when it's -20 outside.

Between July and September each year there is the Irie Music Festival, Island Soul Festival, Toronto Reggae Festival, Rastafest, Jamaica Day, Jambana and the Reggae Night at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition). Basically for a couple months each year you can go out to a different reggae festival each weekend. Since most of them are very reasonably priced its easy on the wallet and lets people come out with the whole family. Lot's of the festivals have additional activities and food vendors making it a fun way to spend the day, with the evening concert a cherry on top.

One thing that is a constant struggle, is trying to coup with the chance of being rained out. All the events previously mentioned take place outdoors and with so many a few will get rained out each year. The weather can turn bad pretty quick. This year at Iriefest there was even hail, which along with the lightening storm caused the show to be cancelled before the headliners could perform. It's a lot of work to organize such a large festival and a heartache when it gets washed out. 

Give thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, funders, partners and everybody who came out and made it a wonderful summer for reggae music in Toronto. Special thanks goes out to all the artists who graced our stages. Hopefully some of the artists will be brave enough to come back and perform during the long, cold winter months. 

balance,

Jahzilla

Reggae Run Tings! We Run Reggae!