Victoria's 23rd Annual Ska & Reggae Festival Lineup Announcement
We are pleased to announce the lineup for Victoria's 23rd Annual Ska & Reggae Festival, once again taking place in the heart of beautiful downtown Victoria, June 22 – 26, 2022. Our first festival since our legendary 2019 instalment features a plethora of diverse, exciting and hugely talented bands and artists from right here in Canada and around the world highlighting the truly global impact of Jamaican-rooted music.
Headlining our 23rd year is reggae royalty, THE WAILERS. The band of the reggae icon Bob Marley, The Wailers have been among reggae's greatest ambassadors for over 60 years, spreading the love and keeping the spirit of Bob Marley alive and strong wherever they go. In looking to the artists that built the culture, we are very proud to welcome Jamaican dancehall legend KING YELLOWMAN and his supremely talented daughter K'REEMA to our stage for a very special Friday night performance on our “Sons and Daughters of Reggae” showcase. “Sons and Daughters of Reggae” also features the powerful JO MERSA MARLEY – grandson of Bob Marley and son of current reggae star Stephen Marley. Canada's reggae crossover sensation BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH make their festival debut, alongside Vancouver funk powerhouse FIVE ALARM FUNK. New York's genre-obliterating trio TOO MANY ZOOZ hits Victoria for the first time as they take the stage for a Saturday night party that also features New Zealand reggae heroes KATCHAFIRE.
As a true Festival for the People, in addition to our paid programming we are once again bringing three nights of world-class FREE music to our signature main stage. These free showcases this year are highlighted by the Victoria debut of New Zealand's THREE HOUSES DOWN feat. GENERAL FIYAH, New Brunswick travelling dance party STEPHEN LEWIS & THE BIG BAND OF FUN, Canada's calypso/ska wizards KOBO TOWN, Brazil's PARAHYBA SKA JAZZ FOUNDATION and Toronto reggae/R&B songstress TRISH who will be backed by Victoria's PHONOSONICS.
Even though the music is what makes the headlines, our Rocksteady Multimedia Arts Collective highlights visual art from some of the area's most interesting artists and we'll once again be featuring internationally inspired culinary delights courtesy of chef Eric Holden. We will also again be hosting a serious of free workshops with festival headliners that allow the public to get more familiar with artists in a uniquely intimate setting. With almost all shows being all-ages, some of the most reasonable ticket prices around and a lineup that touches on an astounding number of genres allied under a single banner, Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival has something for every music-lover. We are so excited to once again welcome the world to the heart of Victoria to celebrate the power of musical community.
Tickets on sale through ticketweb.ca and various in-person locations Friday, April 15 at 10am, but full-festival passes are available now!