Minister of Culture, Entertainment, Gender, and Sport Olivia “Babsy” Grange says she is proud of the development of Reggae Month as the celebrations marking the occasion continue to get bigger and better each year.

Speaking to the Jamaica Observer’s Splash following the conclusion of another successful free reggae concert at Emancipation Park over the weekend, Grange shared that when February was selected as the month to celebrate reggae music it bore great significance and she’s happy the period has experienced the growth it has.

“I’m feeling great about the 2025 celebrations for Reggae Month so far. I think Reggae Month is coming into its own, because every year the events get bigger and better,” she said. “The Bob Marley birthday celebration was fantastic. Apart from the talent that is Sizzla Kalonji, our other concert uncovered new talent and gave patrons a taste of the talent of children of some of the genre’s icons. The month is just filled with activities; some put on by us at the ministry and some put on by private entities and promoters.”

Grange, sharing that the month of activities will continue with several more concerts across the island, said there will also be events paying homage to reggae pioneers. Singling out Queen of Reggae Marcia Griffiths, Grange shared that the iconic female artiste will be honoured at this year’s staging of the Reggae Gold Awards on February 28.

“We have two more concerts where people can come out and enjoy reggae music. One in Negril and one in Ocho Rios, and then we have the Reggae Gold Awards on February 28 where we will be recognizing some of our pioneers, namely Marcia Griffiths who celebrated her 60th anniversary in music,” she shared. ‘We will have her perform with an orchestra and that is going to be a special evening.”

The minister, in highlighting how stacked the Reggae Month calendar has become, said in addition to concerts and award ceremonies, the month is also filled with workshops and symposiums.

— Shereita Grizzle