Featured Image: ReggeaFest  by: Ted Colegrove

Bethlehem, PA – March 20, 2024 – ArtsQuest is excited to announce the return of One Earth ReggaeFest for its third year. One Earth ReggaeFest, a free festival celebrating reggae music and good vibes, will take place on Saturday, July 6 at the Levitt Pavillion, Air Products Town Square, the Williams Brew Stage at Palette & Pour and along 1st Street from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. This event is in partnership with Movement Moves Media, Space Kamp, Rebel Sounds Rising, and presented by Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley.

“One Earth ReggaeFest has quickly grown into a signature event, advancing SteelStacks’ mission of a gathering place for the whole community” said Patrick Brogan, Chief Programming Officer at ArtsQuest. “The consciousness of the music and culture speaks to equality, positivity and good vibes as the music moves people – literally and figuratively – all day and night here each year.”

Notable headliners this year include:

After making their triumphant return in 2020 with their self-titled album, Long Beach Dub Allstars take it all the way back-to-basics on their new album Echo Mountain High. The album takes listeners on a trip through a psychedelic mountain range of musical madness filled with reggae, rock, ska, hip hop, hard dub and soul.

Long Beach Dub Allstars have always taken chances and have never been afraid to chart into unknown musical territory. This album sees Opie Ortiz (vocals), Miguel Happoldt (guitar), Tim Wu (horns) joined by Roger Rivas (keys), Ed Kampwuth (bass) and Gil Sharone(drums) experimenting with heavy psychedelics, playing some hard classic dub anthems along with wild experiments, showcasing the band’s free spirit and fearlessness to venture into the unknown.

SunDub is a testament to the power of inclusion, diversity and unity; their music and community rallies around the concept that we are strongest when people of different backgrounds can work together to create positive change. These core values were first showcased on SunDub’s debut album, Burden of Love (2019), which has amassed millions of streams since coming out. Anchored by a core quintet – Finn Singer (guitar), Josh T Carter (bass), Eric “The General” Toussaint (vocals-keys) and the brother-sister team of Joanna Teters (lead vocals) and Ben Teters (vocals-drums) -the band is ready to breakthrough to even more fans worldwide with their sophomore album, showcasing the evolution of their sound over the past few years.

 

With solitude comes clarity. With clarity comes peace of mind. With peace of mind comes the confidence to…Free Your Authentic Heart – F.Y.A.H., the latest project of Delroy “Pele” Hamilton, a co-founder, leader and bassist of the popular Jamaican reggae band Raging Fyah. With three albums, including the Grammy-nominated “Everlasting”, under his belt, Pele decided to dive deeper into music production when the pandemic hit and isolation became the new normal.

Mighty Mystic is considered as one of the leaders in the U.S. Reggae scene and labeled by many as one of the more prolific artists to develop outside of Jamaica. Mighty Mystic came on the scene in 2006 after scoring his first international hit with the song “Riding on the Clouds”. It wasn’t until the release of his first album Wake up the World (2010) that he became a household name. “Wake up the World” boasted several standouts, such as “Revolution,” “Riding on the Clouds,” “Original Lov,” and “Slipped Away” with appearances from reggae icon Shaggy and roots rocker Lutan Fyah. Mystic continues to wake up the world with his high energy, message driven brand of reggae music which he emphatically calls “HARD ROOTS.”

ReggaeFest goers will also enjoy performances from:

• Cheezy And The Crackers
• Cultivated Mind
• Elephants Dancing
• The Tabernacle
• Space Kamp with Trouble City All-Stars
• Sound Off
• Ras Jem & Unity Vibration

• DJ Menace
• Marrissa Joy
• Jincho El Rustico
• Solid Ground Entertainment

 

New this year will be a Drum Circle activity taking place on the Levitt lawn from 1:55 to 2:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend and participate so feel free to bring along a drum, shaker or fun instrument to get into the groove. The Drum Circle will be led by Ras Mykl of RootSetters.

“One Earth Reggae festival was the highlight of festivals Mighty Mystic played last summer,” said Marc Deutsch, Agent of Mighty Mystic at Nice Shot Entertainment. “We look forward to having him play again at the festival this year!”

There we be a variety of food and artisan/retail vendors at the festival, including (with more to come): Cubano X-Press, D&S Caribbean Kitchen, Island Noodles, Kona Ice of Allentown, Kou Kitchen, Movement Moves Media, Slabs and Crabs, The Taste Smokers, The Udder Bar and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee of Lehigh Co.

Artisan/Retail vendors include: Isasuma Art, Beauty by Monette, Taryn’s Treasures, The Homegrown Poconos CBD, Sage Advice Candle Co., LuvLee Creations & More, Evita Ink, Kitty Couture, 420 Survival Enterprises, 22 Peppers and Jewels by Nicol Marie.

Want to be part of this new festival? Retail/artisan vendor spots are still available. Click here or contact vendors@artsquest.org to apply. This event is produced by ArtsQuest and Movement Moves Media as part of the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks free concert series, presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Come out and enjoy this free day-long festival featuring eclectic vendors, authentic Jamaican food and grooving vibes for all ages. For more information visit SteelStacks.org.

 

About ArtsQuest  

ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, over 50% of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Amber Kalnas