Victoria's 23rd Annual Ska & Reggae Festival FREE Night 2
Kobo Town, The Capital Collective, La Real del Sonido, Rude City Riot @ Ship Point (Inner Harbour)
All ages, FREE, Doors @ 4pm

We're ringing in Night 2 of Victoria's 23rd Annual Ska & Reggae Festival with one of the most musically diverse bills of the whole festival – and if you're familiar with what we do, you know that's saying a lot! Headlining this monster free show is calypso/ska champions KOBO TOWN. For nearly two decades Kobo Town has built a reputation as a truly intoxicating band, blending the worlds of calypso, ska, reggae and hip-hop into a truly unique sonic-stew. With their new album “Carnival of the Ghosts” Kobo Town has pushed the boundaries of the Caribbean sound to new places, their signature (often heavily satirical) social commentary remaining at the forefront but never overwhelming the music. Lyrics to make you think and laugh and music to make you dance – it's the winning Kobo Town formula.

A Ska & Reggae Fest special, THE CAPITAL COLLECTIVE returns to the main stage for what promises to be another unforgettable coming-together of musicians from around our west coast music scene. Born out of a shared love of the ska that inspired not just our festival but our whole community, The Capital Collective is a gigantic ska orchestra that serves as a powerful example of the power and importance of musical community. When The Capital Collective never know who's going to show up on stage playing a horn or a grabbing a microphone and leading the party. Coming all the way from Bogotá, Colombia to power us with their high-powered, horn-laden Latin ska-rock is LA REAL DEL SONIDO. With an unmatched energy and relentless stage presence, La Real Del Sonido might just be your favourite band you've never heard of. Rounding things out and getting us started in style is Vancouver ska-punk rabble-rousers RUDE CITY RIOT. This powerful septet hits hard and is guaranteed to get things started off right proper. When we saw what Rude City Riot did to the crowd at our SKAlloween celebration this past October, we knew instantly they were destined to play for our festival family. With such a hard-hitting lineup, you'd be a capital-f Fool to miss this FREE party under the summer sky in the Inner Harbour. Come one, come all! And be prepared to MOVE!