On the coming third, Virginia Key Beach Park in Miami will play host to the 19th consecutive edition of Bob Marley Movement of Jah People’s annual reggae fest. Conducted now in memory of the late singer and icon, the event is popularly called Marley Fest or even the Carribean Music Festival. Last year, the event was renamed to honour Marley’s birthplace, Nine Mile in Jamaica’s north coast.
The whole music function lasts for 12 hours, and area around the beach and park will be jam-packed with people. Three of Marley’s sons – Stephen, Damian, and Julian – with reggae legends Burning Spear, Capleton, and Cocoa Tea as well as Wale, Tarrus Riley, Collie Buddz, Kevens, and Khevs will perform next week.
Virginia Key Beach gained fame in1945, as the only public beach for the “exclusive use of Negroes” in Dade County. It was earlier accessible only by boat. The beach was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.