Tuesday, April 23, 2019, New York, NY & Jamaica – Downsound Entertainment, organizers of Reggae Sumfest, revealed dancehall legends Beenie Man and Bounty Killer would be performing together on the Sumfest stage on Festival Night 1, July 19, 2019. “Beenie and Bounty are icons of Reggae Sumfest. Known for their high energy, witty lyrics, and outstanding stage presence, they will perform tune for tune, singing songs from different genres through the ages. They will show everyone the skill and talent that’s kept them at the top of the dancehall scene for over two decades,” said Cordell “Skatta” Burrell, of Downsound Entertainment. He was speaking at the New York launch of Reggae Sumfest held at the awesome Bogart House venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn recently.
Sumfest boss, Joe Bogdanovich reconfirmed that Reggae Sumfest 2019 will continue to be the most awesome reggae show on earth and fans would be entertained as never before with a week of fabulous parties, outstanding artists, all in all a fantastic feast of Jamaican music, food and culture!
The full line up of events and artists for this year’s festival was announced during the New York launch which included brief but insightful messages from Sara Young, Airport Manager for the presenting sponsor Caribbean Airlines, and Philip Rose, Regional Director USA for the Jamaica Tourism Board. Both expressed their confidence in the fact that flights and rooms are expected to be full for Reggae Sumfest. Ms Young also revealed special fares were being offered on the airline to travel to Jamaica for the festival. Spragga Benz wrapped up the formalities and led the crowd into a scintillating performance, which thrilled the crowd with some of his new releases and old favorites. Spragga Benz will be featured on Festival Night 1, July 19.
The launch was a true Jamaican style party, with pulsating dancehall and reggae rhythms and Jamaican food including jerk chicken, mannish water and traditional sweets such as gizzadas. “This year our tagline is “Come Experience our Culture” explained Karla Jankee of DownSound Entertainment. “And so in every event we want to make sure that some part of the Jamaican culture is represented for our visitors to enjoy. It was very important to make sure this New York launch was also representative of that,” she said. The vibe was kept high with DJ Madout expertly weaving between reggae and dancehall and between old and new, while also keeping the Caribbean spirit alive with a touch of soca.
Happy with the success of the launch, the Sumfest team will return to the island for the celebration of carnival by Reggae Sumfest with their costumed band Dancehall Queen.
Patrons can access updates on the line-up, tickets and events on the official website www.reggaesumfest.com and @reggaesumfest for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
