A variety of activities will be showcased on Facebook’s platforms celebrating Reggae Sumfest, Jamaican music and culture between 20 and 25 July, a week after the originally scheduled dates for the festival.

Joe Bogdanovich, Chairman and CEO of Downsound Entertainment, the producers of Reggae Sumfest and this Facebook collaboration, provided the background to this landmark alliance. “When the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of Reggae Sumfest 2020 our team explored a range of ideas and decided to pursue a partnership with Facebook.

The relationship began in 2019, at the New York launch, when we toured their headquarters. Facebook welcomed the opportunity and agreed to host the Reggae Sumfest week of events. This initiative is in keeping with the creativity and innovation that is characteristic of the Sumfest team. The post-COVID world will see an increase in virtual events, and this is a positive beginning for Sumfest.”

Among the slate of activities will be highlights of past performances, interviews with artists, and music workshops and panels done in conjunction with the FB/IG team as well as Pandora. It will culminate on July 24 and 25 with the broadcast of performances by a suite of outstanding artistes via FB/IG LIVE. “This will be no ordinary show” commented an excited Bogdanovich, “Reggae Sumfest has been known to raise the bar when it comes to entertainment, and this will be no different. We know that the new normal has become online events, but we aim to take this to a whole new level to ensure that our loyal fans enjoy the exceptional production and entertainment standards that are part of the Sumfest tradition”.