| Reggae on the River | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reggae,roots reggae,reggae fusion |
| Dates | July(last weekend) or August(first weekend) |
| Locations | Humboldt County,California |
| Years active | 1983–2019, 2024-Present |
| Website | Official site |
Reggae on the River was an annualreggae festival active from 1983 until 2019 inHumboldt County,California.[1] It was frequently held on the last weekend in July or on the first weekend in August. It is back on August 1-3 2025.
Reggae on the River began in 1984 as a benefit for the Mateel Community Center, anonprofit for southern Humboldt County,[2] after an arsonist burnt down the community hall inGarberville. The board members at the time were Nancy Shelby and Carol Bruno who worked with Jack Arthur in organizing the festival to raise money for a new hall. It was held at French's Camp (a property located on a bend in theSouth Fork Eel River owned by the Arthur family nearPiercy, California) every year until 2006 when financial issues forced the festival to be relocated for the next two years.[3]
In 2003, the annual festival celebrated its 20th year. A DVD featuring performances from the anniversary was released. It includes performances byCulture,Toots & the Maytals,Third World,Beres Hammond,Israel Vibration, Anthony B., and the Marley brothers.
The 2006 concert brought in far less money than previous years. Due to the move to a new site and the expenses incurred in removing equipment from the old location, the Mateel saw no revenue from the 2006 event.[4] In 2007, the festival was canceled in the wake of a legal battle between the Mateel Community Center,People Productions (the company started by Carol Bruno after leaving her position at the Mateel), and Tom Dimmick, the owner of the property which hosted the festival in 2006. The dispute centered on revenues, with the Mateel questioning why profits estimated by People Productions did not materialize, why there was a discrepancy between the number of tickets approved and reported attendance and $300,000 in cash expenditures with no receipts.[5] In the wake of the cancellation of Reggae on the River, People Productions in conjunction with Tom Dimmick produced their own reggae concert at Dimmick Ranch, which was called "Reggae Rising" and took place at Dimmick Ranch on the usual first weekend in August.
From 2008 the festival had occurred atBenbow Lake State Recreation Area, inBenbow, California, north of the event's original location on the South Fork Eel River.[6] In 2013, Reggae on the River returned to its original location atFrench Camp (just north ofPiercy, California) and its original time, the first weekend of August (sometimes the event falls on the last weekend of July, or on the transition from the end of July to the beginning of August, depending on how weekends fall on the calendar year).
In 2019, the festival was cancelled due to low attendance and financial troubles.[1] In 2022, after theCOVID-19 pandemic lockdown period was lifted, the Reggae on the River festival did not return due to venue permitting issues.[6] However, two smaller festivals were supported: the new Harvest Hangout, and the 45th Summer Arts and Music Festival.[6]
On January 11, 2024, it was announced on Lost Coast Outpost, as well as the Mateel Community Center that the festival would be returning to the Dimmick Ranch location on the first weekend of August 2024.[7] In contrast to past years, the Mateel Community Center announced it would be working with a smaller, more local production company, than the larger, non-local companies they've worked with in the past. No entertainers have been announced for this year's lineup yet.
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39°59′50.55″N123°47′27.08″W / 39.9973750°N 123.7908556°W /39.9973750; -123.7908556
