Reggae Sumfest 2026 goes to Plantation Cove for one night only

Reggae Sumfest 2026 will not be held at its home in Catherine Hall, Montego Bay. Instead, the festival heads to a new venue, Plantation Cove in St Ann for this year’s staging, for what the organisers say will be a one-off, one-night event, even as they emphasise that MoBay is its home.

“A Taste of Reggae Sumfest [will be] a special one-night experience that will take place at Plantation Cove. It’s important to be clear that this is not a relocation of the festival from Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex. Montego Bay remains the home of Reggae Sumfest and a vital partner in the festival’s history and future,” Joe Bogdanovich, CEO of Downsound Records and chief organiser of Reggae Sumfest.

Reggae Sumfest, the largest music festival in Jamaica and the Caribbean, had expanded into a week-long event with two nights of live performances from high-calibre Jamaican and overseas acts on the Catherine Hall stage. It traditionally starts with a beach party on Sunday, followed by a street dance on Monday, an all-white party on Tuesday, a blitz party on Wednesday, a sound clash on Thursday, and the main festival nights on Friday and Saturday.

This year, Reggae Sumfest is scheduled to be held on Saturday, July 18, at Plantation Cove, a venue which hosts Rebel Salute, the Coveside series, and the Intimate concert. Tickets are expected to go on sale today.

This temporary move to St. Ann, Bogdanovich explained, comes following the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Melissa on October 28 last year.

“The western end of the island, particularly Montego Bay and surrounding areas, has faced significant damage from Hurricane Melissa, including impacts on parts of the hotel sector and event logistics. Rather than cancel or compromise the experience, we made the strategic decision to recalibrate,” Bogdanovich told The Gleaner.

He added, “This one-night staging in St Ann allows us to deliver something truly unique for fans while giving our partners in the west the time they need to fully recover. The hurricane may have disrupted logistics, but it certainly did not disrupt the culture.”

The motto is: Sumfest adapts; Sumfest survives; Sumfest delivers.

Bogdanovich said that this also signals the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the brand.

“Reggae Sumfest is expanding its footprint beyond Jamaica through pop-up experiences and branded showcases in international markets. The Taste of Reggae Sumfest concept is part of that evolution, curated experiences that bring the energy of the festival to new audiences around the world,” he said.

Bogdanovich emphasised that this is not a “reduction” of the festival, but rather it is “a curated, one-night experience, designed to give fans something historic while we strategically expand the brand globally”.

“Our commitment to Montego Bay remains firm, and we look forward to continuing to grow the festival there while also opening the door to new markets and new opportunities for Jamaican music worldwide,” the Sumfest owner told The Gleaner.

Last Friday, the Reggae Sumfest team posted on social media that this year’s event will highlight “Two Legends. One Stage.” The two legends are former combatants Vybz Kartel and Mavado, whose intense rivalry during the Gully/Gaza era resulted in some fierce clashes. Bogdanovich, said, however, that the showcase “isn’t about promoting conflict”.

“What we’re recognising is a defining era in Jamaican music history. The rivalry between Vybz Kartel and Mavado shaped a generation of dancehall fans. It fuelled creativity, produced an incredible catalogue of hits, and sparked conversations across the Caribbean and the diaspora,” he told The Gleaner.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com