Reggae Festival Guide has kept industry and fans updated on the latest festivals and happenings around the world. They are celebrating 30 years of service so we caught up with Kaati Gaffney to ask how she got started and how much has changed….
VP: How did you get your start covering / listing festivals?
KG: My background is in magazine publishing, so I produced festival programs for several years and then ultimately, the Reggae Festival Guide magazine with the idea that the “program” should come out before the festival to give the sponsors, artists and the event itself, more exposure—so why not put all the festivals in one program.
VP: What was the first music festival you attended and what was your first Reggae Festival you attended?
KG: First concert: The Monkees (with the Doors opening). I was 9 years old. First reggae festival was Gathering of the Vibes (which then turned into Sierra Nevada World Music Festival).
VP: This year marks 30 Years for Reggae Festival Guide. How much has changed (or not changed) over the years?
KG: Oh gosh, this is a huge subject. For me personally, our anchor platform was our annual printed magazine: The Reggae Festival Guide. People really loved it. After 20 years we had to stop printing because of the expense of paper and delivery. Now we are completely digital.
Our company has changed to be a publicity/marketing company and most of the major reggae festivals use us and our big databases and platforms to get the word out.
VP: Your niche is to list all Reggae festivals around the world. Are you surprised at how many festivals there are around the world? How many are there (roughly)?
KG: That’s hard to answer. Some people call a one-off, one artist, single day event a ‘festival.’.
All I know is that there are more and more reggae events happening. It is really picking up (since Covid) and also because society needs music with positive messages we are seeing more events. We encourage all event producers to post their festival on our top-ranking website: www.reggaefestivalguide.com
VP: Who are you currently listening to on Spotify / Apple Music / Pandora / Audiomack? What is your favorite Reggae Festival to watch on YouTube?
KG: Sorry to disappoint you, but I am old school and listen to the radio! Also, I don’t watch festivals per se on Youtube, but I watch old-school artists like The Meditations, Peter Tosh, Luciano, Rub-a-Dub and Lover’s Rock.