Reggae music has found widespread acceptance across different demographics. This musical genre promotes love, unity and peace – as well as having close ties to Jamaican religion Rastafarianism.
Irie Vibrations provides New Orleans-style Roots Reggae entertainment, complete with conscious songs and exciting dance grooves. Led by charismatic singer Curt Hopkins, their sound makes an enjoyable listen and provides memorable dancing entertainment.
Summer Reggae Fest
Summer Reggae Fest features an exciting line-up of Jamaican-themed activities, ranging from music and dancing to authentic island food and drinks – this event celebrates Jamaican culture in an accessible, family-friendly manner. Additionally, guests can learn about its history through live demonstrations or cultural immersion activities hosted at Armstrong Park’s historic Congo Square – it’s free admission!
At this year’s festival, guests will experience an extraordinary Jerk-Everything platter, party-friendly buckets of Red Stripe beer and One Love (Malibu Banana Rum, Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice and Guava Juice blended together with dehydrated pineapple floater). Additionally, Gary Gunn, one of the world’s foremost artists and music curators will curate an amplified summer feel inside the restaurant by creating an original reggae playlist featuring live reggae music!
Visitors will have an unforgettable three-day celebration in New Orleans while experiencing the sounds and flavors of Jamaica. Alongside live performances by some of Jamaica’s top reggae artists, the festival will include a Caribbean Vendor Market offering authentic cuisine as well as arts and crafts from local vendors.
This year’s festival will include an impressive roster of reggae acts, such as all-female group Innocent. Renowned for their thought-provoking lyrics and high-energy stage presence, Innocent is known to address international injustices as well as meet the needs of underprivileged members of society.
Innocent is one of the premier reggae bands in New Orleans and have performed at numerous festivals and events nationwide. Their diverse musical background fuses Jamaican with American influences. Space Kamp, LNJ Sessions DJ BezMusiq & Screechy Dan will also join Innocent on stage for this festival lineup.
This festival is free to attend; donations are welcome, however blankets, lawn chairs and coolers are allowed; outside food and beverage products are not. In order to ensure everyone’s safety at this festival we will have security personnel and first aid stations present – for more details visit the event website.
House of Blues
The House of Blues is an entertainment complex featuring concert hall, restaurant and hotel services – offering all forms of music entertainment in an authentic Mississippi Delta setting. Its Cajun “Mississippi Delta” theme takes us back to jazz and blues, while its vibrant array of color and glitz puts other clubs like Green Door Tavern and Hangge Uppe to shame – plus they even host reggae music!
Victory Park Event Space is conveniently situated just minutes from American Airlines Center and Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center, boasting capacity to host 20-2,500 guests for corporate events, private concerts, social gatherings, weddings receptions and more. Their talented staff will handle every detail so that your experience at their venue will be hassle free.
House of Blues Dallas offers something for every blues enthusiast or visitor in Dallas – be they longtime enthusiasts or casual observers of blues music. Boasting a stage, standing-room only floor areas and seats in its balcony seating section; an outside patio space offers fresh air entertainment while their exotic decor awakens your senses with music and drinks that tantalize.
When attending a live music performance at the House of Blues, make sure you arrive early. The venue can quickly fill up, especially if its headliner is an in-demand local or national band. All visitors over 21 who enter are carded and given wristbands as proof. Moreover, ushers take their job seriously and may even become aggressive towards those not paying their admission fees.
House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants established by Isaac Tigrett (co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe) and Dan Aykroyd (star of movie The Blues Brothers). There are currently 11 locations nationwide.
House of Blues features an eclectic range of music spanning pop, rock and soul to jazz, ska and hip-hop – even gospel performances on Sundays are often very enjoyable! Their mission is to foster cultural understanding and artistic expression through art and music.
Congo Square
Congo Square stands as one of the holiest sites in American music history, serving as an arena where African slaves from Africa met weekly to dance, play music, and speak their native tongue. The weekly ritual established an African presence in North America that had lasting ramifications on future musical development.
Under French and Spanish colonial rule in New Orleans during the 1700s and 1800s, this spot was the sole gathering spot where enslaved people could gather for such activities. Although city ordinance limited these gatherings to Sunday afternoons and a small area, ritual continued regardless. Music, songs, dances and instruments used for performances had African idioms but also had Caribbean influences.
As part of its investment in Congo Square, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation wants to share some of the stories that have made this vital public space such an integral part of musical history. Our aim is to preserve and celebrate this cultural treasure so that future generations of artists may benefit.
Robert Farris Thompson noticed in the late nineteenth century that many participants at gatherings he attended were wearing clothing with animal tails and objects hanging from their waists that he later realized to be “nkisi,” objects believed to possess spiritual powers of healing and power – now commonly referred to as Voodoo in New Orleans culture and beyond.
Congo Square created its own distinctive musical culture through its rhythms and songs, infusing it into New Orleans culture and continuing today in second line parade beats, polyrhythm funeral performances and Black social aid and pleasure club parades. Freddi Williams Evans in her book Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans details how Congo Square rhythmic cells still resonate through New Orleans culture today as seen through jazz compositions written during its golden years.
NOLA Reggae Fest
NOLA Reggae Fest was an unforgettable cultural experience in New Orleans. Bringing the best of Jamaican culture to New Orleans, this festival created lasting memories among family and friends of all ages – filled with lively dance performances, captivating art exhibits, cultural demonstrations, delicious food vendors and plenty of memorable fun!
Armstrong Park’s historic Congo Square hosted this festival, where African-American slaves would come together during the 19th century for meetings and open markets. There were two stages, a music tent, food and drink vendors and musical artists including Claude Bryant All Stars, Ha Sizzle and Tanto Metro to perform for festival goers.
This year’s festival features the Congo Square Stage and Dance Tent as new venues, hosting performances by both local and international reggae stars. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office; general admission for Friday costs $5 and includes a souvenir wristband that grants access to festival vendor booths; VIP tickets cost $115 and come complete with an official festival t-shirt.
No LA Reggae Fest should be missed! Not only is its music unforgettable, but also meeting fellow reggae enthusiasts is a wonderful opportunity. Attendees who love music should attend this unforgettable experience in New Orleans. Buy NOLA Reggae Fest tickets through Vivid Seats’ 100% Buyer Guarantee marketplace which was awarded No.1 by Newsweek; its secure shopping cart makes purchases quick and secure; should they not meet expectations within 30 days, tickets can be returned for a full refund!