Promoters of the annual Groovin’ In The Park concert say its eighth staging will be dominated by reggae acts. In previous years, they have gone for a balance of high-profile Jamaican and mainly American pop artistes.

Christopher Roberts, CEO of promoters Groovin’ Inc, told the Jamaica Observer that the change in direction was influenced by fan demand.

“Most of our patrons are from the Caribbean, so of course reggae is important to them. In our informal survey that we conduct each year, fans are telling us more and more of the reggae superstars they would love to see perform,” Roberts explained. “We do our best to accommodate their requests, depending on availability of the artistes. We announced Romain Virgo as the first reggae act confirmed for 2018. He has been one of the most requested artistes for the past three years.”

Groovin’ In The Park takes place June 24 at its traditional location, Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, New York.

Last Saturday, Roberts announced Virgo’s debut appearance on the show. Singer-songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, who performed on the inaugural Groovin’ In The Park (then known as Reggae Rhythm & Blues) in 2011, has also been confirmed for the event.

Roberts said Edmonds’ return was inevitable.

“Fans have expressed many times that they would love to see him return to the Groovin’ stage for an encore performance. When we made the announcement of his return this year, diehard fans were overjoyed.”

Approaching its 10th anniversary, Groovin’ In The Park has become a staple on the list of West Indian shows in North America. It consistently draws over 20,000 patrons, mainly from the tri-state area (New Yok, New Jersey and Connecticut), as well as regions with strong Caribbean populations: Philadelphia, Boston, South Florida, Atlanta, Baltimore and Toronto.

Jimmy Cliff, Beres Hammond, Freddie McGregor, Morgan Heritage, Marcia Griffiths, Mavado and Chronixx are some of the reggae acts who have performed on Groovin’ In The Park. Patti LaBelle, Michael Bolton, Air Supply, Gladys Knight, Billy Ocean and R Kelly have provided a R&B/pop flavour.

The lineup for the 2018 show will be announced soon.