The powerful trio of Red Stripe, Digicel and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) are back on board for the 19th staging of Reggae Sumfest.

Last year, performances by reggae and dancehall's brightest stars, along with international superstars Usher and Chris Brown, were nothing short of spectacular; and this year's event which runs from July 16 to July 23 is anticipated to be even better. Since inception, the promoter, Summerfest Productions, has built a reputation for providing a world-class musical production which brought a crowd of over 30,000 persons each year.

Johnny Gourzong, executive producer of Reggae Sumfest, is pleased to partner with Red Stripe, Digicel and JTB once again. "Summerfest Productions welcome these partners who have supported us significantly over the years. This year, we wish to continue the legacy of a fruitful partnership and certainly seek to improve the product and take it to a higher dimension," he said.

pleasure

Digicel is on board for the 10th year and sees great prospects for the festival. Shelly-Ann Curran, marketing manager of Digicel, expressed pleasure at being on board again. "Digicel is a proud sponsor of the flagship entertainment event Reggae Sumfest. We are committed to entertainment in Jamaica and the development of the Reggae Sumfest product," she said.

The 19-year-old musical attraction has entertained Jamaicans and lured persons from long distances to the Jamaican shores for the delightful entertainment package. Jason Hall, deputy director of Cruise Attraction and Events, the Jamaica Tourist Board welcomes the music festival and anticipates a huge celebration of music and culture for all at this year's staging.

"The Jamaica Tourist board has been associated with Reggae Sumfest since inception. We believe in this solid event which we think is good for Destination Jamaica and Montego Bay. We continue our support as we consider it an iconic event of Jamaican music and culture," he said.

relevance and impact

Red Stripe, having been a sponsor almost every year since 1995, is also anticipating another great year for Reggae Sumfest. "Music remains one of the biggest connection moments for us with our consumers and the relevance and impact of Reggae Sumfest to our society is well established and we're excited to be a sponsor of this great festival again. Patrons can expect a 'stand out' experience provided by Red Stripe at Catherine Hall in July," said Jomo Cato, head of marketing, Red Stripe.

The 2011 staging of Reggae Sumfest will see an upgrade of sound, lighting and visuals for a more dynamic production overall.

Stage Manager Junior Taylor describes the ambitious new plans, stating: "We are bringing our patrons the same top-quality service, but with a new twist. Reggae Sumfest is gearing up to produce some new and exciting elements for the crowd."

The Reggae Sumfest team is also working to address the physical comfort of their patrons, making a few changes based on last year's audience feedback, "We have listened to our audience and are making adjustments to the venue to accommodate any possible incidence of rain have, remarked organiser Johnny Guorzong, also in light of the current economic strains, we have begun our campaign earlier than usual to allow people the time to prepare for this year's amazing showcase."

Reggae Sumfest kicks off with a beach party on Saturday, July 16 and continues on July 21-23 at Catherine Hall Montego Bay. In keeping with its tradition of highlighting the most current reggae and dancehall acts, this year's show will feature newcomers along with a line-up of veterans, and as always, Jamaican audiences wait with bated breath for the announcement of this year's international headliners.