Reggae Sumfest 2020 opens it virtual doors to over 360 million viewers

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

After 26 years of thrilling the public, one of Jamaica’s biggest Reggae festivals has decided to take the show on a virtual platform and is letting their audience know that lock-down or not, the show must go on.

Reggae Sumfest 2020 ran from July 20^th-25^th  and this year, the festival was done as a week-long virtual experience for fans around the world, with: one-of-a-kind access to exclusive artist interviews, professional panels for content creators, artist spotlights from past performances, and live performances.

This festival that is normally held in Montego Bay, climaxed with two final days of high-energy, live musical extravaganza, non-stop dancing and celebrations as the island’s biggest artists took to the stage on July 24^th and 25^th.

The exciting line-up featured performances by a volley of dancehall and reggae stars including: Chronic Law, Chaka Demus and Pliers, Ding Dong, Agent Sasco, Spice, Maxi Priest, Koffee, Gyptian Freddie McGregor, and Shenseea. Both evenings of live performances were hosted by Yanique.

The festival opened its virtual doors to over 360 million viewers using the Facebook and Instagram platforms for all lovers of reggae and dancehall music. The festival aimed to showcase Jamaica’s massive impact on the world as a powerhouse for music, culture, and lively celebrations.

This year Sumfest also pooled together professional panels of musicians, producers, and industry leaders to learn the rules of leveraging social media platforms and successfully creating visibility for their brands. Panelists included Jessie Woo, DJ Noire, and Stefon Bristol.

Toronto Caribbean Newspaper spoke with Mr. Skatta Burrell before this reggae extravaganza. He is one of the coordinators/administrators and engineers behind this huge annual event about what it takes to sit in the driver’s seat of such a historic festival.

“What we are trying to do,” Burrell began, “Is to recreate Reggae Sumfest, but on a virtual level. We understand the strain that is on the entertainment business right now, so instead of sitting this entire year not doing anything, and just keeping our fingers crossed for 2021, we said listen, let’s take this virtual.”

“Reggae Sumfest,” Burrell said, “Owes it to the fans, the community, and the fans across the world to at least reach them through music and unify the entire planet based on what is going on right now. You know a lot of stress is facing humanity.” 

Speaking of reaching everyone, Burrell said, “A lot of people would like everything to be channeled through one entity, we think it is better to have at least (four platforms) running where we can reach a wider audience, not everyone is on Facebook, not everyone is on Instagram, not everyone is on YouTube.”

Judging from the rehearsals so far, the artists delivered just like there was a packed house on hand, “I think,” he said, “They have accepted that they can reach people through the screens, phone, and televisions.”

“Everyone has accepted their fate right now,” Burrell said, “We have accepted that 2020 is just a year that is filled with disaster and whatever comes you have to weather the storm. We are not hoping to get back to partying, we are saying this is what we have now, and we have to make the best of it.”

Burrell, who has over 25 years of experience in the music business and has seen the highs and lows and is very confident that this venture will be a tremendous success for the artists musically as well as the fans.

Burrell has been both a fan of Sumfest in its early years and now sits at the helm of the event, so he understands both sides of the coin. He takes his responsibility very seriously.

“It is not easy, but things are not hard when you work as a team. The company that I work with purchased the brand Reggae Sumfest. I have a huge responsibility and a threshold to keep, but it is something I take with gratitude because our predecessors did a great job. When you look at the history of this festival, unquestionably they are number one.

To learn more about this years Sumfest, visit www.reggaesumfest.com.