The Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival kicks off with feel-good music June 19, and organizers expect it to have the biggest attendance yet. Last year’s festival saw attendance all-time highs, with approximately 13,500 total attendees. “With more bands this year, one more venue than last year and this being our 25th Anniversary, we are headed towards another record-setting year,” said Blake Morneau, Victoria Ska Society publicist.
This year’s festival runs June 19-23, across four venues: Ship Point, Victoria Curling Club, Lucky Bar and The Wicket Hall. There will be a free show each day of the festival, plus ticketed shows, all highlighting the influence and roots of Jamaican music. This lends itself to a broad musical landscape, Morneau said, given how many genres Jamaican-rooted music has influenced.
“It really allows us to open up the scope of who we’re able to welcome. We’re looking for groove - we want all the acts that hit our stage to get people moving and dancing,” Morneau said. “We want artists who are connected to their communities, who hold ideals of social justice, equality and care for the world around them - subjects that are at the heart of early ska and roots reggae music.
” A big standout at this year’s festival is American punk ska band The Suicide Machines. “A band that we’ve admired for a very long time and it’s kind of shocking they haven’t joined us before,” Morneau said. “They’re fiercely independent and hold steadfast to.
