Matt Hewson
The Reggae Fest – Vybz of the Caribbean returns to Geelong’s Johnstone Park this weekend for its second instalment in a vibrant day of Jamaican music, food and culture.
Kicking off at noon on Saturday, November 18 and running till 8.30pm, the festival will be headlined by international reggae star Quino (Big Mountain) performing with Indonesia’s number one reggae band Marapu.
The program also includes some of Geelong and Australia’s best reggae acts, such as Nicky Bomba, Mpress Kandace, Crown Heights featuring Marvin Priest, Ras Jahknow band, King Ru, Vanuatu String Band, Soul Sister Swing and Flames Eye.
The day will include fun for all ages, with market stalls, free face-painting, games and activities and Dazzling Dan the Magic Man, while food vendors will offer authentic Jamaican cuisine all day.
Reggae Fest organiser Mary-Anne Rosevelt said the festival was a labour of love for her and her husband Damian.
“It’s all straight from Damian, he’s Jamaican and we’ve been married now for 16 years,” Mrs Rosevelt said.
“When he came to Australia and Geelong he had this idea; I can’t get to Jamaica every year, it’s too far, too costly. What if I bring a piece of Jamaica to Geelong?
“He just visualised it being a hit over here, and we’ve worked hard over the last few years to get to a position where we could bring Reggae Fest to Geelong and the people.
“We had a great first event last year and we can feel that it’s building, so the team is super pumped.”
Mrs Rosevelt thanked Geelong council for supporting the event since its inception.
“They have been an amazing support, both last year and this year,” she said.
“Council has been really awesome, (they) have sincerely helped us to get it up and running.”
