With the coronavirus

pandemic preventing the staging of live events, Reggae Sunsplash has opted to

make its grand return online.

The event

was set to return to Grizzly’s Plantation in St Ann this year, 14 years after

it was last held. However, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and changed things.

Unwilling to

completely shelve their plans, the organisers will host a virtual event on

November 27 and 28. It will be streamed primarily on YouTube, but viewers will

also be able to access it via Facebook and Instagram.

While Reggae

Sunsplash will not return in the expected format, Tyrone Wilson, the executive

producer for the event, is still eager to bring the show to the world.

“We are

grateful to still be able to offer the Reggae Sunsplash experience to the

world. With the global pandemic, we have had to make some adjustments but we

hope that through this unique performance package that we have created, fans of

Reggae Sunsplash all over the world will be able to enjoy,” he said.

“This

is a historical and iconic brand that helped to birth Jamaica’s music festival

economy. Our main aim at iCreate is to aid in the development of the digital

and creative economies, and this festival will be reintroduced to Jamaica and

the world at a critical juncture. Creatives will benefit from additional

earnings during a time where the industry has been brought to its knees.”

The organisers

have also promised to announce the line-up next week.

The event

will be managed by iCreate in partnership with Visa and the Jamaica Tourist

Board (JTB).

Reggae Sunsplash

was last held in August 2006 at Richmond Estate in St Ann when the organisers

tried to revive it. However, the event was first staged in 1978 by Synergy

Productions. The festival ran until 1996. None was held in 1997, but there was

a return in 1998.