Reggaeland Festival Hosts a Magnificent Weekend of Pure Vibes and Fun at The Milton Keynes National Bowl [LIVE REVIEW]

Reggaeland Festival truly outdid themselves this year with a highly memorable weekend, which was a celebration of Caribbean music and culture, the two-day festival was held in the majestic Milton Keynes National Bowl, with acts like Koffee, Popcaan, Wayne Wonder, Shabba Ranks, Gyptian and many more headlining the event.

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It’s not often you can still feel mesmerised by a festival, days or weeks after it has happened, but Reggaeland managed to create a lasting impression on all that attended the spectacular weekend. As someone who was experiencing Reggaeland in Milton Keynes for the first time, it was hard to know what to expect, however, expectations were immediately exceeded, the very moment I arrived. The National Bowl is a festival location like no other, the cinematic scenes of Reggaeland could easily be compared to those at Glastonbury Festival. 

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As the sun shined down in Milton Keynes, people of all ages and backgrounds were smiling, dancing, and eating, there was an untold selection of food to pick from including Jerk wings, Curry Goat, delicious vegan delicacies, mouth-watering rum punches to drink and so much more. In terms of the music it was more than just reggae being played throughout the day, Jungle and Dancehall were also in the mix, with well-known sound systems, DJs and musicians amplifying those sounds like Rampage, David Rodigan, King Tubby, General Levy and Popcaan who closed off the show with a timeless performance on the final night. 

Despite only attending the two-day festival on the Sunday, I would say I made the most of it, bouncing between the One Love Stage, The Dub Stage and the Carnival Stage, which most definitely got me warmed up for London's Notting Hill Carnival on the upcoming bank holiday, it was the Main Stage that had my heart as I was honoured to witness artists like Taurus Riley and Luciano perform in front of my very eyes, hearing tracks like ‘She’s Royal’, ‘Sweeping Over My Soul’ felt surreal and spiritual as these are two artists that were constantly played throughout my childhood, reggae singer Anthony B soon followed on performing his infamous track, ‘A World a Reggae Music’ and so many more.

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As the sun started to go down and the air became a little cooler Grammy award-winning artist Koffee energetically stormed onto the stage alongside some high-spirited dancers, performing a plethora of fan favourites, ‘Rapture’ kicked things off, followed by ‘W’, ‘ Pressure’ and a rendition of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song. It wouldn’t be a Koffee performance without the platinum-selling record ‘Toast’, the bubbly 24-year-old shined effortlessly on stage as she closed in on her set, which was celebrated with confetti and smiles.

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DJ Stylus effortlessly warmed up attendees for the highly anticipated last performance of Popcaan, who was the final artist to grace the Reggaeland Stage, archive footage of Popcaan was displayed on screens, as ‘Only Man She Want’ was played by a live band, Popcaan soon followed onto the stage with vibrant energy, performing tracks like ‘Party Shot’, ‘Ova Dweet’ and a shoutout to dancehall legend Vybz Kartel, followed by a rendition of his well-loved record ‘Clarks’ and can’t ‘My Type’ which was one show closer and crowd pleaser. The shots of fire that flew out from the stage, seamlessly summed up Popcaan’s performance, as he closed in the night. 

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With attendees sporting their country’s flags, good food all around and real music from one of the most influential places in the world, Reggaeland had an authentic Caribbean flavour that truly made Reggaeland a day to remember.  

I’ll say from now I definitely won’t be making the same mistake of only attending for one day again, so for those reading make sure you get your 2025 tickets from now, as you won’t want to miss out!