Promoters in Barbados are pulling out all the stops to ensure that the 2009 Digicel Barbados Reggae Festival in April 2009 brings with it a needed boost for summer tourism, in the face of the continuing world economic slowdown.
The who's who of International reggae, including Beenie Man and Buju Banton, will join local performers for the week-long Barbados festival, scheduled for April 19th - 26th, 2009.
Three main events are planned, starting on Sunday April 19th with a Reggae Beach Party, a 3pm -10pm affair at the picturesque Carlisle Bay Centre, Bridgetown, featuring Adonia, Busy Signal, Mad Dog, Peter Ram, Kirk Brown, Most Wanted and Verseewild.
The Vintage Reggae Show and Dance is set for April 24th at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, with acts such as Freddie McGregor, Gregory Isaacs, Boris Gardiner, Biggie Irie and Fab 5.
The Barbados festival climaxes Sunday April 26th with an open-air show at the majestic Farley Hill National Park, featuring a host of top Jamaican and Barbadian stars. The headliners for Reggae on the Hill include Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Morgan Heritage, Queen Ifrica, Ayanna John, Buggy, Duane Stevenson, Konshens, Positive, and Zion Trybe.
Show producers, FAS Entertainment, are liaising with the hotel sector and the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) to give the festival a higher profile and attract more regional and international visitors.
Co-director of FAS Entertainment, Al Gilkes, said the Barbados Reggae Festival was being promoted outside of Barbados for the first time this year to stimulate visitor arrivals.
In this regard, FAS Entertainment is in talks with the BTA seeking support for Barbados-subsidized air travel for visitors from Caribbean countries who wish to come for the shows. The BTA recently offered Caribbean cricket fans the opportunity to fly to Barbados for one US dollar plus taxes for a major match at Kensington Oval and the promotion was a sellout success.
"We are awaiting word from the BTA re the (FAS Entertainment) promotion," said Gilkes, an entertainment promoter in Barbados for the last 45 years.
Pointing to the festival's tourism value, Gilkes recalled the story of two Japanese fans of reggae star Maxi Priest who called Barbados in 2004 to find out how to get here for the show at which he was performing. Gilkes said both women arrived in time to see the Jamaican perform at Reggae on the Hill.
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