It’s undeniably festival season. With old favorites returning bringing incredible lineups, and new festivals popping up for their maiden voyage, 2023 is going to have an incredible selection of musical performances all over the world. Near the middle of Texas though, the Reggae Under the Stars Festival is back for the second year with a stacked roster of reggae musicians from all over, ready to relax your mind with a music-filled camping getaway!
Situated off the Guadalupe River just a tad southwest of Austin, the Rebecca Creek Campgrounds will be a reggae party in full swing May 5th through the 7th. Angela Schatzi and Trent Dugas are the brains and creatives behind the festival, looking to create an escape for those in need! This is going to be the second year of the gathering, promising to offer MORE of everything needed to kick back, enjoy the tunes and get your grub on. Reggae under the Stars became an official LLC this year and is 100% female Veteran owned. Gaining a lot of traction in the off season, Schatzi has been working hard to secure a lineup that will draw the folks in, offering two nights of camping (with the artists!) three full days of music, and over 20 bands kickin’ out the jams coming from Texas, California, Colorado, Florida, New York, South Carolina, and Jamaica and beyond.
Having missed the first one, I’m extremely excited to catch it this year and check out some great bands in my home state! Kash’d Out, Mighty Mystic, Brendan Clemente, Idoljob, Ghost.Wav, SGT Remo & The Vibratones, Soulfiya, Crucial Riddim, Sugarwaves, Phil and Aubrey, Bombafiya and many more (with more to be announced as well!) will be setting up to melt your worries away with the best music and good times you could ask for. The artists will be camping alongside the festival-goers for an over-the-top intimacy you can’t get at the huge fests!
Schatzi and Dugas want people to have fun, forget the normal world, and just heal with friends, family, food and music!
In her own words, Angela explains her stance and reasoning behind the creation of the festival, “December 31st 2021, I retired with a week shy of 21 years service. Music has played such an important role in all of my life, especially reggae! The music itself is so instrumental, and can be so healing to top off the people you meet through music. The reggae community and music helped me so much through a lot of my mental struggles that I was dealing with from the military. I did a lot of soul searching and worked on myself so I could be a better person. My goal was to take all of my pain and things I’ve gone through, and grow from them so I could help others that may be in the same shoes. Reggae Under the Stars for me was a way to bring all like-minded people together. Help our reggae fam grow. I truly believe in one-love and just being kind to each other. I think about how amazing it would be if we were all that way to each other. I feel like there are so many of us out there that are hurting and in pain and we just need that one shoulder to lean on or maybe that one kind voice to tell us it’s going to be okay. Maybe even just have that one weekend where you don’t have to worry about your stresses or life issues. You’re just there listening to the music and enjoying all of the beautiful vibes around you.”
There are day-pass options for those not looking to camp ($5 parking per day for non-campers) in addition to the various camping options for those who are planning a retreat. Like any festival, there will be vendor booths setup, merch tables, and an array of food trucks serving up the grub. Friendly furry animals are a welcome sight (on a leash, please!) so bring the WHOLE family out!
“Let loose and dance to the beat of the drums while soaking up the warm glow of the campfire!”
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