International Reggae Day
A Global 24 hr Virtual Celebration of Jamaican Music Culture
One Love anthem, first released by the Wailers in 1965 and later re-recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1977, was voted song of the millennium by BBC in 1999 and remains a rallying theme worldwide. International Reggae Day (IRD) 2021 will be celebrated on July One as a virtual 1Love Rally to unite, inspire and uplift the global Reggae community. Reggae music has become synonymous with 1Love, a principle and affirmation first articulated by Jamaican national hero Marcus Garvey, contextualized by Rastafari and later popularized by Bob Marley.
IRD 2021 will celebrate the many faces of one love and the impact of love on Reggae music. “As the world continues to battle the impact the COVID 19 pandemic, the existential threat that is climate change, increased levels of global poverty and violence against women, the power of love is essential to healing – love for self, family, community, country, culture and planet. Reggae music is special not only because if its distinctive sound but also because it has the power to inspire change and it continues to be an important voice in times like these.” said
Andrea Davis, Founder/Producer of International Reggae Day.
The annual IRD 24-hour virtual celebration will showcase the best of Jamaican music culture and its impact on the global Reggae movement from the roots to the branches. Virtual performances, playlists, panels, and media specials celebrating Jamaican music culture and its impact globally will be featured online at ireggaeaday,com and IReggaeDay social media platforms (You Tube | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter). Fans globally will rally around the red, gold and green and fly their Reggae colours in recognition of International Reggae Day on
JulyOne.
Reggae artistes, selectors, content creators, labels and media representing multiple cities around the world, are preparing their JulyOne specials including Kingston, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, London, Birmingham, Toronto, New York, Atlanta, Nassau and Salvador. Over the past twenty-seven years since its launch in 1994, IRD has highlighted Kingston as the home of Jamaican music and sought to showcase the best of Jamaica’s creative industries while highlighting the many layers of Jamaica’s music legacy and honouring those who have contributed to the growth and internationalization of Jamaican music.