International Reggae Day JulyOne virtual events

International Reggae Day (IRD) will celebrate its 30th anniversary milestone with a 24-hour hybrid experience, showcasing the power and impact of Jamaican music culture. The celebration will feature a mix of virtual events, specials from participating media, and a network of physical events. The festivities kick off in London on June 29 with an all-day conference at the University of Goldsmith. This will be followed by JulyOne events, ranging from the Dennis Brown Memorial at Heroes Circle Park in Kingston to the grand finale – a reggae drone light show hosted by the City of Miramar in South Florida.

IRD2024 will also host two key virtual events with an AI Webinar and a Riddims & Resistance Roundtable powered by Visual Tech Solutions as part of the celebrations hosted JulyOne at ireggaeday.com.

The virtual ‘IRD30 Riddims & Resistance Roundtable’ will explore the impact of reggae on global resistance movements like South Africa’s fight against apartheid which ended in 1994 with the election of its first black president, Nelson Mandela. The virtual webinar event ‘IRD2024 AI & Creative Industries’ will provide an overview of the UNESCO Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap 2024 and explore the impact, potential and concerns inherent in AI’s integration in music, film, media and the creative industries.

Reggae Day was founded in 1994 on a innovative blueprint that combines the power of music, media and technology, predating the Internet age. The dawn of the digital age in the 1990s revolutionised the entertainment industry, compelling it to rethink its business models and adapt to the seismic shift in how content was created, distributed, and consumed.

As the digital revolution took hold, Reggae Day™ transformed into International Reggae Day™ in 1996, harnessing the global connectivity of the World Wide Web to spread reggae’s message of one love, unity and positive vibrations, cementing its status internationally as a vibrant annual celebration of Jamaican music and culture.

Fast-forward three decades and the rapid evolution of generative artificial intelligence technology is now reshaping the very fabric of society, redefining core concepts like work and truth. As the world navigates this new, dynamic AI integrated future, it is imperative that foundational infrastructure – from education systems to legislative frameworks – be revamped to responsibly integrate the technology, harness the potential of AI, and ensure a future that’s equitable, sustainable and built on a bedrock of trust and transparency.

For founder and producer Andrea M. Davis, “International Reggae Day has maintained the annual JulyOne global celebration for three decades, based on its dynamic and creative blueprint which has harnessed the power of music, media and technology to connect the world in celebration of great Jamaican music culture”.