Following its thrilling conclusion, Barbados Reggae Weekend 2026 is being hailed as a lesson in the love of reggae and dancehall with artistes, disk jockeys and performances that exposed the essence of the much-loved genres.

“I feel nostalgic, but also excited for the future of the music,” one patron, who identified herself as Debbie, told Observer Online on Sunday during the final show of the weekend, Reggae in the Gardens.

Fans could not contain their excitement at seeing the stacked Sunday night lineup featuring Spice and Company, D’Yani, Kranium, 450, and Fantasia.

“I came to see the reggae festival but primarily to see Fantasia…she can bring me up, and she can sing to me, that’s my girl!” said Julie, who returned home to Barbados from New York City for the event.

United Kingdom resident Diane, who travelled to her family’s ancestral home with her husband and daughter, said they factored in the festival when purchasing tickets.

“We made sure we were here for it because we keep missing it, and we love reggae music and we wanted to see especially Capleton.”

The “Fireman” had performed the previous night during the Showdown event.

The Kensington Oval was packed from stageside all the way into the stands on Sunday, with attendees standing shoulder to shoulder to see each act.

Spice and Company, D’Yani and Kranium revved up the crowd with compelling and energetic performances while attendees showed their appreciation by being just as enthusiastic in response.

It was a particularly poignant moment for the Bajan-born Spice and Company, performing before such a zealous crowd as they celebrated 50 years of music-making.

Kranium had the crowd just as excited, belting out his hits Gal Policy, Nobody Has to Know and Higher Life.

Commenting on the “awesome” reception from fans in Barbados, Kranium told journalists, “I don’t do many shows in the Caribbean, I think I’ve been in music about 10 years or 12 years, and I’ve done like seven times in the Caribbean and this is something I am getting used to.”

Echoing sentiments shared by artistes like General Degree throughout the weekend, Kranium maintained that dancehall is doing well.

“I feel like dancehall is in a good place, I still consider myself a young artiste when I look at Elephant Man, Capleton, Sizzla, Bounty or Beenie, dem man deh gone 20 years, I am just 10 years in so I have nuff work fi do,” he said.

D’Yani’s performance drove the ladies wild, with dozens of hands desperate for the roses he brought on stage to give out to lucky women between hits like Ride It and Live a Little.

Well known for his immaculate presentation and emotive, love-centric lyrics, the artiste shared his inspiration with Observer Online, noting that he is also confident in the future of dancehall.

“I am inspired by love, I am inspired by life, my experiences as well, with that said I think dancehall is in a good space, I am part of it,” he said.

Dancehall star 450 also performed, a night later than his scheduled performance. During his set, the artiste shared a sincere thanks to those who had come out to see him perform.

The penultimate performance of the weekend, by Dexta Daps, drew screams and blushing from ladies and props from the gentlemen as the artiste went through his set, peppered with “gyal tunes”.

The arrival of the When I See You songstress Fantasia to the stage also drew wild screams from the crowd. There was no shortage of energy or excitement for the artiste’s set, reflecting her popularity with Caribbean fans.

The event was notably successful in drawing artistes that had never or only briefly visited Barbados which is a traditional transit point for flights.

JC Lodge, who performed on night one, and Kranium noted that they had only visited once before and were extremely pleased with the reception. Popcaan reflected on a visit in the late 2000’s while crooning his “ticket to Barbados” line from the track Fall in Love.

For General Degree and D’Yani, it was their first time on the island outside of transit.

All the artistes expressed pleasure at the reception to their sets, while on the closing day multiple fans told the Observer that the event had exceeded expectations.

“I expected a lot from the line-up, and sometimes the artiste’s don’t deliver, but them really come out!” Kim said. “I loved the performances, it was just pure good vibes!”