NEW YORK, N.Y. – Organizers of the inaugural New York Roots Reggae Family Festival – the Caribbean Family Reunion, scheduled for August 13th at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, will present a preview of the event to media practitioners at a July 13th launch at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall.
The event will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., according to Sharon Gordon, president of TSO Productions LLC, producers of the event. Gordon explained that the Roots festival is set to bring together Caribbean family and friends from around the world in celebration of Emancipation Day, Garvey’s birthday and other milestones in Caribbean progress against a backdrop of roots reggae and other Caribbean genres.
The festival presented by Kuji Magazine in association with Caribbean American Program for Empowerment, Ifetayo Cultural Arts Facility and Organization for International Development, promises to be one of this summer’s highlight events.
Performances will come from a diverse line-up of artists from the Caribbean including Jamaica’s Bushman, who will headline the festival along with Trinidad and Tobago’s David Rudder and Haiti’s Emeline Michel.
New York based Taj Weekes and Adowa from St Lucia are also set to perform as is Bigga Haitian, Jamaica’s Muta Baruka and Marcia Davis backed by the New York based ensemble, Outro; Panama’s Elijah Emmanuel and Raggalox.
Activities at the festival will include: the Roots Reggae Children’s Village operated by Ifetayo; the Reggae Rockers Elders’ Retreat coordinated by OID; several commerce pavilions featuring the arts, crafts and products of the Caribbean a Carib Cuisine Food Court offering the very best cuisines of the Caribbean and the main stage.
For singer Taj Weekes, while calypso is acknowledged as Caribbean, reggae is usually portrayed as exclusively Jamaican. TSO’s Gordon says, “This festival will dispel that myth. It will truly be a Caribbean family reunion under the spell of roots reggae music.”
There’s no doubt that all four young acts are going to take the baton passed by top Jamaican acts before them and give fans a treat at this year’s Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest.
Sponsors of the festival are Grace Foods (Jamaica) and Carib Beer (Trinidad and Tobago), and Air Jamaica while media partners include Hardbeatnews, WWRL and the Caribbean Life.
