One of the most important festivals in Jamaica and the longest running, El Reggae Sumfest, enter the countdown for what the edition will be 2026 with a new format and staging, on a night that will be etched in the historical records of dancehall with Vybz Kartel Y Mavado topping the billboard.
Scheduled for next Saturday 18 July at Plantation Cove, and St. Ann, The event will be transformed into a one-night-only performance called “A Taste of Sumfest” (A taste of Sumfest), concentrating the entire experience into a single intensive show instead of the traditional multi-night structure.
The billboard, which was revealed months ago, puts Vybz Kartel and Mavado in the center, two of the most influential figures in dancehall, which has generated a high expectation of what could happen live during the night due to a long-standing rivalry, Gaza v/s Gully, which has shaped the development of the island's dancehall culture.
The festival will also feature performances by Jamaican artists such as Jamal, Verses, Queen Ifrica, Harry Toddler, Shawn Storm, Marcy Chin Y Young Wild Apache, a lineup that bets on local talent and combines established names with emerging voices, always placing Jamaican music at the center, what has been the hallmark of this contest.
This year the Sumfest, created in 1993, It also had to change venues due to the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa at the Catherine Hall Events Center - the festival's usual location in Montego Bay.. The new location that will host this edition offers a more open space compared to the traditional location.
With a more compact format, a couple of headliners with great cultural weight and a cast focused on Jamaican artists, the edition of 2026 It is presented as a moment of great intensity within the general evolution of the festival, maintaining its festive spirit., but with a clearer emphasis on structure and its impact, prioritizing these aspects over the mere magnitude of the event.
