VANCOUVER ISLAND

Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival announces 2019 lineup

Adam Lee CTV Vancouver Island
Published Monday, March 25, 2019 4:37PM PDT Last Updated Monday, March 25, 2019 5:57PM PDT

This year is the 20th anniversary for the festival (Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival)

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Ky-Mani Marley, Less Than Jake, Macka B, and the Cherry Poppin' Daddies are among the top acts set to appear at the 2019 Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival.

The five-day music festival takes place at Ship Point and three nightclubs in downtown Victoria, and features more music than just ska and reggae.

"You just discover music from all over the world that you would never think of," said Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival artistic director Dane Roberts after the festival lineup was announced Monday.

"You've got soul and you've got Latin music extractions. You have hip hop, jazz and all sorts of music infusions that go with ska and reggae."

Ky-Mani Marley, a reggae and hip hop artist, is the son of legendary reggae musician Bob Marley. This will be his second time headlining the festival, after headlining in 2011.

Less than Jake are an American ska-punk band and Cherry Poppin' Daddies blend a mix of swing music and ska with hits like “Zoot Suit Riot.”

This year is the 20th anniversary for the festival and Roberts says they have worked very hard over the years to compete with other festivals both locally and abroad.

"Four or five years ago there was a lot of other festivals surrounding us and in Europe," said Roberts. "We had to kind of reinvent ourselves in how we presented music and make sure we were doing proper outreach so that we would get people to understand the breadth of Jamaican-rooted music. That's really helped us survive."

The family-friendly event also features three free concerts at Ship Point on the Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday of the festival.

The 2019 Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival takes place June 19 to 23. The festival schedule and ticket information is available at victoriaskafest.ca

Lineup: