Reggae Sumfest, like many other highly anticipated events this year, has had to adapt to the reality COVID-19, opting to hold a virtual staging the events instead of canceling it altogether.
The organizers of the annual music festival team have inked a deal with Facebook and Instagram to host the online event.
The Jamaica observer reported that under the agreement, a variety of activities will be showcased on the platforms to celebrate Reggae Sumfest, and Jamaican music and culture, from July 20-25—a week after the originally scheduled dates for the festival, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joe Bogdanovich, chairman and CEO of DownSound Entertainment, the producers of Reggae Sumfest, and this Facebook collaboration provided the background to this landmark alliance.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of Reggae Sumfest 2020 our team explored a range of ideas and decided to pursue a partnership with Facebook. The relationship began in 2019 at the New York launch, when we toured their headquarters. Facebook welcomed the opportunity and agreed to host the Reggae Sumfest week of events. This initiative is in keeping with the creativity and innovation that is characteristic of the Sumfest team. The post-COVID world will see an increase in virtual events, and this is a positive beginning for Sumfest,” he said.
Among the slate of activities will be highlights of past performances, interviews with artists, and music workshops and panels done in conjunction with the FB/IG team as well as Pandora. It will culminate on July 24 and 25 with the broadcast of performances by a suite of artists, live on the two platforms.
“This will be no ordinary show. Reggae Sumfest has been known to raise the bar when it comes to entertainment, and this will be no different. We know that the new normal has become online events, but we aim to take this to a whole new level to ensure that our loyal fans enjoy the exceptional production and entertainment standards that are part of the Sumfest tradition,” he pledged.
