Faced with the loss of the annual reggae festival Reggae Sunsplash, a group of business persons in Montego Bay came together to form Summerfest Productions Limited.
The company was formed in 1993 and staged the first annual Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay from August 11– 14th.
The company has since inception been committed to showcasing our indigenous reggae music while also promoting Montego Bay as a prime tourist destination. Over the years, the event has presented the best talent in reggae music such as Shaggy, Sean Paul, Damian “Junior Gong” Marley & the Ghetto Youths Crew, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man, Mavado, Vybz Kartel, Sizzla, Steel Pulse, Shabba Ranks, Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers, Beres Hammond, Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer, Third World, Morgan Heritage, Maxi Priest, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Buju Banton, Tarrus Riley, Protoje, I-Octane, Konshens, Queen Ifrica, Etana and many more.
In keeping with our motto of “Promoting Music, the Universal Force”, the festival has sought to also present other music forms to a very diverse audience. To this end international artistes have been sucessfully incorporated into the line up, namely Usher, Chris Brown, Trey Songz, R Kelly, Ne-Yo, Mary J. Blige, Destiny’s Child, Alicia Keys, Tito Jackson, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, LL Cool J, Ludacris, Lionel Richie, Missy Elliott, 50 Cent & G-Unit, Jay-Z, Akon, Ja Rule, Keshia Cole, Jazmine Sullivan, Keri Hilson, Nas, Fantasia Barino, Rihanna, Ashanti, Snoop Dogg, Boyz II Men, K-Ci & JoJo, Dru Hill, Ciara, Wyclef Jean, Joe, Blu Cantrell and the Temptations.
Recipient of several awards, Reggae Sumfest is widely regarded as the world’s premier reggae music event, and has developed an excellent reputation of presenting top class artistes, backed by the state of the art production amenities. Each year the company conducts media launch events in Kingston, Montego Bay, New York and Miami. The Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg issued a Citation to the company in 2008 and again in 2009 at the New York Launch events. We receive significant media coverage each year from the international press core, such as MTV, MUCH Music, VIBE and Billboard Magazines, Access Hollywood, E-Entertainment TV, BET, BBC and Channel O of South Africa, and attract journalists from all across the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Costa Rica and neighbouring Caribbean islands. The Government of Jamaica, through the Jamaica Tourist Board, is a significant partner in staging the festival annually. Corporate sponsors of the festival have included Digicel, Red Stripe, Pepsi, Iberostar Resorts, national air carrier Air Jamaica/Caribbean Airlines, Ocean Spray, Vitamin Water, BET J, Appleton Jamaica Rum, Continental Airlines, Big Yard Music, VP Records, Coca Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
In 2003 Summerfest Productions Ltd. took the Reggae Sumfest brand overseas with a mini tour to neighbouring Caribbean territories such as Antigua, Guyana and Trinidad during the month of April. On May 25, 2003 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, Lil Kim and Fat Joe.
Staged annually during the 3rd week of July, the festival is now an established staple on the Jamaican entertainment calendar, attracting patrons from all across the globe, as far away as Australia, Europe, the USA and the African continent. Reggae Sumfest 2012 marked the 20th staging of the festival which saw the event being designated as an Official Jamaica 50 event, in commemoration of Jamaica’s 50th anniversary as an independent nation. Reggae Sumfest 2013 will mark the 21st annual staging of the event. Come join us in Jamaica’s 2nd city Montego Bay from July 21st – 27th for the Greatest Reggae Show on Earth.
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