In celebration of Rototom Sunsplash's 25th Annual event this August, the international reggae festival of all festivals is taking to the road, visiting five European countries and over a dozen Spanish cities ahead of the big event. Rototom Sunsplash, for those who are unaware, is Europe's largest and most intensive reggae festival, stretching an impressive seven days along the Mediterranean coasts of Benicassim, Spain. With the ocean breeze wafting throughout the grounds, Rototom vibes attendees through their entire body and soul with dub, reggae, dancehall, ska, blues and good ol' rock-and-roll performed by an eclectic mixture of worldwide artists. There are symposiums for education, lounges for meditation, classes for recreation and everything in between! If you haven't experienced Rototom yet on your bucketlist, now is the year to do it.
If you haven't experienced Rototom yet on your bucketlist, now is the year to do it.
That's right, Rototom is officially 25 years strong! In commemoration, the festival starts the pre-party this May 5th in two Euro cities on the same night. Reggae-lovers in Rome can attend a special Rototom kickoff party with a night highlighting female voices in reggae and ska. Across the map in Berlin, German reggae enthusiasts can spend the night getting down on some dancehall with a pre-party headed by 2018 festival performing artists Pow Pow Movement. The anticipation tour then heads to the Canary Islands, with two more stops on the same night in two different cities: catch the Patois Brothers with Forelock and The Arawak and DJ Pier Tosi in the Italian city of Modena or for those around Tenerife, Spain, there's Cali P, Dj Chiquis Dubs, Lion D, Ruk Koko and more going down. From there, the festival heads to Montpellier, France, for a dub event featuring Iration Steppas, Macky Banton, Solo Banton, Wicked and Benny and more on May 19th.
But, the festival isn't done pre-partying yet! June and July is marked with high-quality reggae performances, all of which embody the electrifying essence of this colossal reggae extravaganza we know as Rototom. On June 2nd, Lisbon welcomes to the stage Black Omolo, Sista Awa and Rubera Roots Band, while Tarragona and Mallorca will perform at two locations on the same night. That's three micro-Rototom events, one evening. June 6th brings the party to Barcelona, where Jamaican reggae sensations Israel Vibration will tear up the stage at The Sala Apolo alongside Manu Digital, Deemas J, Greenlight and DJ Karlixx. From Spain, the fest shoots north to London on June 10th before returning back to Spain for two shows on June 16th: Tarragona in Sant Carles de la Rapita and Sister Nancy with direct support Legal Shot in Seville. Two more shows hit the Spanish cities of Alicante and Sagunto on June 20th and July 7th, respectively, before the pre-party's guest of honor arrives in the mix. For three nights of the pre-party stretch, Rototom is pleased to sponsor Bob Marley's own son, Ky-Mani Marley, onstage at the Spanish cities of Fuengirola, Valencia and Madrid July 20th, 21st and 22nd! With an actual descendant of the most renowned and esteemed reggae artist in the history of the genre, having Ky-Mani Marley join the 25th Annual celebration (without actually gracing the stage in August) is quite a feat.
The 25th Annual promotional tour ends a few short weeks before the main event on July 28th in Montijo, with a lineup headed by Malaka Youth. If you're not excited by the festival now, wait until you see the complete lineup for Rototom 25 going down this August 16th-23rd. There's still time to buy tickets for all of the shows mentioned above, as well as the festival this August. For more information, visit www.rototomsunsplash.com.
Rototom 25 pre-party tour:
- 5/5 Rome & Berlin
- 5/11 Modena & Tenerife
- 5/19 Montpellier
- 6/2 Lisbon
- 6/6 Barcelona
- 6/10 London
- 6/16 Sant Carles de la Rapita & Seville
- 6/20 Alicante
- 7/7 Sagunto
- 7/20 Fuengirola (feat. Ky-Mani Marley)
- 7/21 Valencia (feat. Ky-Mani Marley)
- 7/22 Madrid (feat. Ky-Mani Marley)
- 7/28 Montijo
Festival links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
Share this article
or
Get music updates in your inbox