Reggae Month 2026 Launch Set for January 21

The calendar of events in observance of Reggae Month 2026 will be unveiled at a media launch on Wednesday (Jan. 21).

The function will take place at the New Kingston headquarters of title sponsors, J. Wray and Nephew Limited, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Reggae Month will be observed from February 1 to 28 under the slogan: ‘Come Ketch Di Riddim’.

Executive Director at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), which is executing the month of activities, Lenford Salmon, told JIS News that Reggae Month is a celebration of Jamaica’s culture.

He said that activities will be held right across the island.

“We invite the world to come to Jamaica to celebrate this monumental music that we have given the world, which is more than music; reggae is lifestyle, reggae is an experience,” he said.

“Coming to Jamaica during Reggae Month is an experience that you’re not going to get at any other time in Jamaica,” he pointed out.

Mr. Salmon told JIS News that since its designation as an annual observance in 2008, Reggae Month has grown from strength to strength, attracting a lot of international interest.

“One of the most amazing things that has happened over the last four or five years is the request of international reggae personalities, singers, musicians, to be a part of the annual Bob Marley concert,” he informed.

The concert is a signature event on the calendar in honour of the late icon’s birthday and features performances by a cadre of local and international artistes.

“So, this thing has now taken on a real international flair, because it’s almost like musicians worldwide don’t feel that they have arrived in reggae until they have been to the Reggae mecca, to almost legitimise themselves,” Mr. Salmon said.

“Almost all the bands that have come, over the years to be a part of Reggae Month, a part of their journey here is to record even a song or an album at Tuff Gong Studios. It’s almost like a star on the album, to know that the album was recorded in the same space that Marley trod and would have recorded a number of his international hits,” he added.

Reggae Month will commence with a church service at the Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston on Sunday, February 1 and will feature the Reggae Gold Awards on Friday, February 27.

“The month, for us, is not just about entertainment, but edutainment. That’s why we have a lot of what we call ‘talking heads’ to track the history. That’s why we honor our icons, which is what the Reggae Gold Award ceremony is about, to pay homage and to present the music with a different flavour,” Mr. Salmon said.