“Beenie and Bounty are icons of Reggae Sumfest. Known for their high energy, witty lyrics and outstanding stage presence, they will perform tune for tune, singing songs from different genres through the ages. They will show everyone the skill and talent that have kept them at the top of the dancehall scene for over two decades,” said Burrell. He was speaking at the New York launch of Reggae Sumfest held at the awesome Bogart House venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn recently.

Apologies were made for the unavoidable absence of Sumfest boss, Joe Bogdanovich. He did, however, send a V message to the launch that captured the imagination of those in attendance. He explained that “Murphy’s law” had got him, causing him to end up in space on the wrong flight. He reconfirmed that Reggae Sumfest 2019 will continue to be the most awesome reggae show on earth and fans would be entertained as never before with a week of fabulous parties, outstanding artistes, all in all a fantastic feast of Jamaican music, food and culture! His uniquely presented message stole the show and was well received by an audience that boasted a veritable who’s who of entertainment media. The guest list included representatives from Source, BET, Fader, VP Records, many entertainment bloggers and more.

The full line up of events and artistes for this year’s festival was announced during short formalities which included brief but insightful messages from Sara Young, Airport Manager for the presenting sponsor Caribbean Airlines, and Philip Rose, Regional Director USA for the JTB. Both expressed their confidence in the fact that flights and rooms are expected to be full for Reggae Sumfest. Ms Young also revealed that special fares were being offered on the airline to travel to Jamaica for the festival. The official unveiling of the official Reggae Sumfest 2019 poster wrapped up the formalities and led into a scintillating performance by Spragga Benz who thrilled the crowd with some of his new releases and old favourites. Spragga Benz will be featured on Festival Night 1, July 19.

The launch was a true Jamaican style party, with pulsating dancehall and reggae rhythms and Jamaican food including jerk chicken, mannish water and traditional sweets such as gizzadas. “This year our tagline is “Come Experience our Culture” explained Karla Jankee of DownSound Entertainment. “And so in every event we want to make sure that some part of the Jamaican culture is represented for our visitors to enjoy. It was very important to make sure this New York launch was also representative of that,” she said. The vibe was kept high 2 with DJ Madout expertly weaving between reggae and dancehall and between old and new, while also keeping the Caribbean spirit alive with a touch of soca. Happy with the success of the launch, the Sumfest team will return to the island on Tuesday when it will be a seamless move into the celebration of carnival by Reggae Sumfest with their costumed band Dancehall Queen.

Patrons can access updates on the line-up, tickets and events on the official website www.reggaesumfest.com, handle for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @reggaesumfest.