Organisers of the September 2 Westchester Reggae Festival are hoping to expand their brand beyond the boundaries of New York City. Founder and veteran events promoter, Andrea Bullens, says attracting new fans is foremost in her thoughts.

“We are still trying to appeal to folks north of the city, meaning Rockland, Connecticut, Jersey, but the challenge is the geography of the counties and the fact that there is not heavy concentration of people in one area. It’s more of a challenge of which media outlet to use, which promotional tool to use to get the word out, because oftentimes when we have these shows people will show up saying, ‘we never heard about it’,” said Bullens.

While admitting that “there is still a long way to go” in spreading that word, Bullens is satisfied with the progress of the show she first staged in 2019. This year’s event at the Westchester Country Center features Grammy-nominated band Third World, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary; Luciano and Mikey Spice.

Veteran bassist Derrick Barnett and his Statement Band are also on the show.

The inaugural Westchester Reggae Festival was held at Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York on August 31, 2019 and featured Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt. Covid-19 forced a cancellation in 2020, but the event returned in November, 2021 with special guest, Monty Alexander.

Last year saw Griffiths, Leroy Sibbles and Johnny Osbourne gracing the Westchester Reggae Festival stage.

– Howard Campbell