Fun in the sun with a side of live music from icons and local talents alike.
A dyad of long time ago , around this time , I was emerging from a lockdown and just starting to get my human foot wet again when it came to international travel . So wherever I went had to be full . I wanted to simultaneously cool down out and go hard ; I wanted sun and sand and profane amnionic fluid , but also culture , intellectual nourishment , andlife . Preferably in summertime music festival class . After a forced reprieve , I was itching to once again feel the Department of Energy of live performers and an adoring , effervescent crowd .
The 2022 St. Kitts Music Festival go the bill . During the twenty-four hour period I explored the island ’s fort , rainforests , and beachside lounging , while at dark into the weeny hours ( Caribbean festivals go hard , y’ all ) I entrance international human activity like Sean Paul , Ashanti , and Destra and local performers like Dejour and Venelle Powell . It was a small chip of sunshine and a wad of sport . It convey multiple day of extended quietus to retrieve when I got back to Brooklyn , but it was deserving it .
Here are four Caribbean music festivals to maximise your beach holiday this class , plus a few estimate to get you plan for 2025 .
Beenie Man performs at at Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica.|Shelby Soblick/Getty Images Entertainment
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St. Kitts Music Festival
St. KittsJune 27—29An island of refractory rainforest , in - your - face colonial account , defunct sugar Plantation , and mischievous monkey , it ’s unremarkably St. Kitts ’ sister island Nevis , birthplace of Alexander Hamilton , that gets the radiancy and fame attention . But the turgid island ( regime name : St. Christopher , distinguish by Christopher Columbus after his supporter saint ) has a hugger-mugger artillery : Since 1996 , its multi - 24-hour interval euphony festival has been one of the best in the Caribbean , showcasing local performers , up - and - comer and big names from Ashanti to , yup , Kenny Rogers .
This year the festival runs three days , with star including Mary J Blige , Rick Ross , and Freddie Jackson , and local artists like rising asterisk AkaiiUSweet . When you ’re not listening to player check out the nighttime marketand satellite eventslike a Praise Fest , dork volaille festival , and beachside Mardi Gras . Come for the placid opulence , stay on for the all - dark ragers . Relax on black and ashen flaxen beach , and repeat .
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Reggae Sumfest
JamaicaJuly 19—20Jamaica is the birthplace of reggae , so of course they ’re run to have the adult reggae fete in the Caribbean , and decidedly the genre ’s most culturally rich live euphony experience in the world . It come up from small beginnings , starting on the streets of Montego Bay in 1993 as a vehicle for showcasing reggae and Jamaican culture . Today it ’s grow to a weeklong extravaganza with arts , crafts , and food , complain off with a beach company and include fringe issue like an All White Party held on the waterfront , and a street dance .
In addition to up - and - fare local names and reggae creative person like Damian Marley and Leroy Sibbles , Reggae Sumfest has hosted some threatening duty performers like Nicki Minaj and Rihanna . This yr ’s headliner is Babyface , who performs on July 20 .
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Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival
CuraçaoAugust 29—31Part of the southernmost ABC islands alongside Aruba andBonaire , Curaçao and its neighbor are known for their arresting clear water system , subaquatic Witwatersrand , and tightly fitting cacti that line dramatic seaside cliffs . There ’s plenty of out-of-door dangerous undertaking , from super C skiing , snorkeling , and spelunking in distant gorgeous cave to hiking … in remote gorgeous car park . But of the three , Curaçao is the terminus for taproom and night life . And this August , after a five - year hiatus , entertainment will once again include the Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival , one of the hottest ticket in the Caribbean .
In the past performing artist have included Sting , Stevie Wonder and Bruno Mars ; this yr the lineup already features Gladys Knight , Marc Anthony , Seal , Jennifer Hudson , Gregory Porter , Maluma , Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 , and Nile Rodgers of the band Chic ( whew ! ) . More are still being added , so detain tune up .
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Dominica World Creole Festival
DominicaOctober 25—27Dominica , between Guadeloupe and Martinique , is an island you go to immerse yourself in nature . With furrowed rude beauty , it ’s one of the least develop in the Caribbean , with rough two - third of the land cover by rainforest . After Hurricane Maria , the island made a witting decisiveness to rebuild with a focus on ecotourism . It now draw outdoor adventurers for hiking , snorkeling over volcanic vent-hole , raft and tubing , visiting waterfalls and a fuel pod of nonmigratory sperm whales , and sure , if you want it , laying around on the beach .
And for three nights every year those adventurers are joined by 7,000 music fans , who descend for a celebration of the island ’s mixture of West African roots , Indigenous Kalinago heritage , and Gallic and British influences . Performers span known name calling like Popcaan and reggae stalwarts Beres Hammond to island legends like the cadency - lypso medicine alive legendsMidnight groover .
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Some of the best fete in the Caribbean chance in the early months , before the weather get too scorching . In March , theSXM Festivalin St. Martin focuses on techno and hole-and-corner artists ( tagline : “ The Island is your Dancefloor ” ) , while for one day in April theCapella Music Festivaltouches down on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands . This yr it boast artists like Richard Marx and Damian Marley — the lineup for next year has yet to be announced , but former admittance tickets are on sales event .
TheSt . Lucia Jazz & Arts Festivalis one of the biggest draws when it number to island festivals and this year featured Michael Montano , Babyface , and Air Supply . It ’s commonly in April or May , while the newishVujaday Music Festivalin Barbados bring cadence to the island with names like Diplo and Sasha . TheAruba Soul Beach Music Festivalhappens over Memorial Day weekend and is a banger , five daylight of everything from hip hop to soul to comedy , this year with Boyz II Men and none other than Mariah Carey . coif up those Google flight alerts ASAP .
