31 May - 2nd June 2024 saw the first ever Birmingham International Ska & Reggae Festival. Held at Thornborough Farm, a green events space in Kings Norton, Birmingham.
The concept - to celebrate Ska and Reggae music, new and old, with an emphasis on original music. There are so many amazing ska and reggae tribute and cover festivals but not enough festivals that celebrate the original music.
Where better to host such an event than Birmingham? People often refer to it as the Home of Metal but it is also the Home of Reggae.. and Ska. 1975 saw the birthday of our first major home-grown reggae band, Steel Pulse, following that UB40, Musical Youth and much more. With the proximity to Coventry, the Two Tone Records era of late 70s and early 80s really impacted the Birmingham music scene with local band The Beat part of the vanguard leading the way alongside Coventry bands The Specials, The Selecter and more.
The inaugural event was in many ways a huge success, attendees and performers loved it, and the feedback has been quite frankly, mind-blowing. People travelled from all over the world - Italy, America, Scotland, Bilbao, Mexico, Switzerland - a great cross section.
However, there were a lot of costs incurred with it being the first festival, and taking over from the original organiser, this means there is no money to invest in getting 2025 going. We spoke to our attendees and the overwhelming response from the seems to be that they want another festival and are happy to support getting that off the ground... so here we are!
Let's celebrate Birmingham, Home of Ska & Reggae with some fun rewards for you!
Some of your lovely feedback from Facebook:
