The Swedish annual ÖLAND ROOTS FESTIVAL, scheduled for July 10-13 on the Swedish island of Öland, will be an all-female reggae event. The lineup boasts: Marcia Griffiths, Koffee, Etana, Ikaya and Etana, from Jamaica, British singer Holly Cook, Dezarie from the United States Virgin Islands, and the Swedish artist Sister Sol and more.
The idea is the brainchild of promoters Adil Nadri and Alexander Sjöbäck. Nadri said:
Last summer as we were sitting enjoying a beer at an outdoor event, he (Sjöbäck) asked me what I thought about this idea. I told him right away with lots of enthusiasm that was a brilliant idea, as I have no memory of a major reggae event hosting strictly female acts, from artistes to sound system on the same edition. Then we went further in the conversation and started brainstorming which artistes could be ideal to have on that unique concept. When he expressed his wish to have Marcia Griffiths for one of the three headliners, I told him that I was in fact in conversation with her to do a tour for the coming summer.
Thirty acts have been confirmed for Öland Roots Festival, which is the latest reggae event on Sweden’s music calendar. The annual Uppsala Reggae Festival, which also takes place in July, is the best known.
