24 HOUR GLOBAL MEDIA PLATFORM FOR REGGAE RETURNS

June 1, 2011

Kingston, Jamaica – Launched on July 1, 1994, International Reggae Day is the first ever calendar event to be officially proclaimed and dedicated to Reggae music, receiving its official proclamation from Jamaica’s Governor General Sir Howard Cooke in 2000.

International Reggae Day is a 24-hour global media festival hosted by Jamaica to celebrate the nation’s music, creativity, and global influence. The festival’s international network mobilizes a 24-hour Reggae party anchored at www.ireggaeday.com, inviting Reggae fans worldwide to wear their Reggae colours and explore other genres within Jamaica’s musical experience including Mento, Ska, Rock Steady and Dancehall.

This year, IRD will offer media and strategic partners, a gratis event license to host Free Reggae lifestyle parties in Jamaica and overseas. Participating partners include Red Bones Blues Bar in Kingston, Spur Tree lounge in NYC and the Bambas Dois launch party in Sao Paulo, Brasil. Application forms for the gratis event license are available to media and strategic partners on request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

REGGAE is the infectious syncopated sound from the little rock that has turned pirates into governors, quietly shaping western civilization while giving rise to a major social revolution and a spiritual movement. This same little rock has inspired writers and poets, songwriters and lovers the world over, reared the world's fastest men and women and dazzled with its beauty and raw uncompromising talent.

For 17 years IRD has showcased the best of Jamaica, global Reggae, and the next generation of music legends, and continues to honour the very best of a culture that perseveres in adversity, excels against extreme odds and breathes an indomitable love of life into a music that is the heartbeat of enduring optimism. Previous events have included live performances by Toots & the Maytals, Luciano, Morgan Heritage, Diana King, Tony Rebel, Mighty Diamonds, Anthony B, Gregory Issacs, Sugar Minott, Leroy Sibbles, Cherine Anderson, Duane Stephenson and many others.

Kingston-based companies, Jamaica Art Holdings (JAH) Ltd and The Higher Intelligence Agency (HIA) Ltd, produce the annual global media festival and coordinate the international event series. This year’s lineup for the local and international 24 hour broadcast includes a one hour IRD live concert special, the Bambas Dois Music Project, and the top 200 Reggae playlist. The concert special will be shot June 8th at the old JBC Studio featuring interviews and performances by Luciano, Raging Fyah, Jah 9, Jesse Royal and Chantelle Ernandez. 

For more information, log on to www.ireggaeday.com or call 1-876-846-0754. Please direct all press inquires to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .