MUMBAI: For its fifth edition, the Goa-based festival expanded to become a three-day festival; each day was attended by over 2,000 attendees; notable highlights included face-off between BFR Soundsystem and 10,000 Lions, performances by The Turbans, Macka B, Sara Lugo and Supa Mana, Naaman, Petah Sunday and more.

In its fifth edition, Goa Sunsplash strengthened its reputation as South Asia’s largest celebration of reggae culture in South Asia. The fifth edition of the reggae festival – which saw the festival expands to become a three-day festival – saw increased participation by attendees not only in terms of numbers but also by way of workshops, talks, and efforts to reduce festival waste.

Attended by over 2,000 people on each day of the January 10-12 weekend, the festival saw some special performances by the likes of the legendary reggae singer Macka B; musical globetrotters and Britain-based fusion band The Turbans; rising star of the French reggae scene, Naaman – who continued his very successful run at Goa Sunsplash; one of the more soulful voices in reggae and one of its brighter stars, Sara Lugo and the a first-ever head-to-head showdown between two hand-built Jamaican-style sound systems in India, BFR Sound System and 10,000 Soundsystem.

Both BFR Sound System and 10,000 Soundsystem have given the nascent reggae scene a much-needed fillip, and have instrumental in taking the message of reggae to different corners of the country.

“This was our first year as a three-day festival and it was an absolute success from day one. We really took a step forward in many directions this year and we feel the future looks good for Goa Sunsplash,” says Zorawar Shukla aka General Zooz of Reggae Rajahs, co-founder of Goa Sunsplash. “The weekend was brimming with people, we had artists from six different continents and audience from all corners of the world – reflective of the diverse reggae community. The food court really worked, was very popular as were the talks and workshops. We moved from strength to strength this year,” he adds.

It’s wasn’t just music that people came to Goa Sunsplash for. The emphasis for Goa Sunsplash as a festival is to offer a holistic lifestyle and cultural experience that reflects the reggae ethos, and it was successful in creating experiences that could be enjoyed by all age-groups.

The dancehall camp with dancehall pioneers Orville Expressionz and Shelly Expressionz in collaboration with Smash Dem Crew and Afrobeats dance workshop with Afrontal were packed, as were the discussions with Dance Expressionz – the first dancehall institution in Jamaica and offers the first-ever accredited course in the history of the genre – and a talk about connecting Jamaica and India through plant-based traditions with Macka B and master herbalist and Organic India founder Prashanti de Jager.

The dub yoga and capoeira workshops – despite their early start – were equally popular. The Jamaican staples like jerk chicken and goat curry served at Baba’s Tropical Kitchen proved to be a big draw, serving hundreds of people through the weekend.

 One of the big takeaways from Goa Sunsplash was the participation of attendees in helping the festival reduce waste. The festival adopted a no-plastic bottles policy, and made available free drinking water – courtesy Bisleri – that attendees could drink after buying a reusable cup at entry.

The only festival in India to focus exclusively on reggae and its sub-genres, Goa Sunsplash has been instrumental in bolstering the reach of the reggae community in India.