Christopher Martin ADD

JaRIA Unveils Reggae Month 2023 Calendar Events

02/01/2023 by Press Release

The Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) has officially unveiled its 2023 Reggae Month event calendar online. Interestingly, JaRIA has ventured outside of Kingston to include celebrations in Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios. “JaRIA has always intended to expand its operations outside of Kingston and has previously conducted seminars across the island. This year, with the Support of the Urban Development Corporation, we have been able to secure ideal venues in a partnership that will make it easier to realize our dream of bringing concerts to the wider Jamaica. This is a start on which we will expand throughout the year” said Ewan Simpson, Chairman of JaRIA. 

Reggae month will kick off with Reggae Wednesday’s ‘Revolution – Celebrating the Crown Prince’ on February 1st at the new location Live at Festival Market Place at the Waterfront, Downtown, Kingston. This event will pay homage to the great Dennis Brown, featuring performances by Christopher Martin, George Nooks, Ras-I, Shanice Sewel, Rissa, and Miguel, hosted by Debbie Bissoon. Other Reggae Wednesday events include ‘Love-a-Dub’ on February 15th and ‘Reggae Praise’ on February 22nd, which will be held at the same location. New on the block is ‘Word Sound Power’, which will be held at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay. 

The popular ‘Reggae Open University’ (ROU) will be streamed live on JaRIA’s YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram pages, as well as, on PBCJ’s YouTube channel. The first ROU will be titled ‘The Relay – XChange’, featuring speakers such as Grub Cooper and Ernie Smith. This will be followed by ‘The Relay - The Curve’ on February 9th; ‘The Relay – The Back Stretch’ on February 16th; and ‘The Relay – The Anchor Leg’ on February 23rd. The ROU aims to document the experiences and knowledge of the stalwarts while exchanging said experiences and knowledge with today's front runners. 

Other events include the ‘One Drop of Harmony’ show at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay on February 8th; the ‘Launch of JaRIA’s Honour Awards’ on February 26th and ‘Reggae Cyaa Dunn’ at Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios. JaRIA has also endorsed events such as ‘Yaksta’s ‘22’ Album Launch Party’ on the 21st of February; ‘Remembering Alton and Hortense Ellis’ on February 18th; ‘Reggae Month Exhibition’ at the Sky Gallery; and ‘Reggae Wednesdays South Florida’ produced by Inner Circle (Bad Boys of Reggae).