Worldwide Reggae Day united the world in tune and solidarity
Reggae music as soon as once more introduced the world collectively, because the thirty first staging of Worldwide Reggae Day (IRD) unfolded with the theme “One Love. One Voice. One Day.” On July 1, greater than 30 nations took half within the celebration, uniting artists, followers, cultural areas, and media below one rhythm.
This yr’s IRD delivered a resonant message, from Kingston to Cape City, London to Lima, proving that reggae stays a strong expression of affection, solidarity, and cultural identification. Its deep roots in justice and resistance carried via every second.
“Reggae emerged from the grassroots,” stated Andrea Davis, IRD’s Founder and Producer. “It turned a soundtrack for justice, unity, and fact. Worldwide Reggae Day reminds us what occurs when music turns into motion.”
From Argentina and Brazil to India, France, China, the UK, and Canada, the world responded. The Bahamas, Costa Rica, and Anguilla have been among the many Caribbean nations celebrating via full of life programming, radio takeovers, artist tributes, workshops, and group gatherings, honouring reggae’s emotional and political influence.
A signature spotlight unfolded at 11:55 AM Jamaica time: the International Reggae Pull-Up. Throughout continents, followers, selectors, sound techniques, and streaming platforms paused and pressed play. Bob Marley’s “One Love” and Dennis Brown’s “Love & Hate” echoed in concord around the globe, sending a shared pulse of unity into the airwaves.
For IRD Co-Producer Lisa-Ann O’Gilvie, this second symbolized extra than simply coordinated celebration. “It wasn’t a few single day,” she stated. “It was a groundswell. From Asia to the Americas, individuals stepped ahead and added their voice.”
In Jamaica, native and world audiences tuned in to a lineup of significant occasions. A Music Professionals Workshop, a panel on the “Roadmap for Reggae’s Future”, co-hosted by JARIA and Edna Manley School, and a inventive movie occasion titled “Constructing a Movie Come-Unity” on the Bob Marley Museum, in partnership with Threads of Us, drew broad participation and livestream engagement.
Kingston’s cultural hubs, together with Tuesday Service Dwell at The Compound and Kingston Evening Market, got here alive with tribute performances and dynamic showcases, celebrating reggae’s previous, current, and future.
Globally, the celebration took distinct native kinds. In Mexico, PullItUp Radio ran a 24-hour reggae marathon that includes 20 artists throughout Guadalajara and Mexico Metropolis. Within the UK, the Harlesden Bassline collective hosted a day-long collection of occasions from the Roots Rock Reggae Stroll and storytelling on the Reggae Tree, to a panel on reggae’s world resonance.
For the primary time, two awards have been offered to honour people whose lives embody reggae’s values and imaginative and prescient.
Followers remained the motion’s heartbeat. By means of the #OneDropChallenge, sporting reggae colors, planting Reggae Bushes, and internet hosting native celebrations, they confirmed that reggae’s soul lives wherever individuals collect in its title.
On stage, on-line, or within the streets, Worldwide Reggae Day 2025 reminded the world that reggae is greater than sound—it’s spirit, legacy, and love in movement.
#InternationalReggaeDay #IRD2025
