The Cuban hip hop of Orishas puts the cherry on top of the lineup for the 30 editions of the international reggae festival Rototom Sunsplash, which will be held in the Mediterranean town of Benicàssim (Castellón) from August 16 to 23, and which includes more than 200 shows on its seven stages.
The band will perform on the Main Stage on the penultimate day of the festival, Friday, August 22, joining an artistic lineup that will range from reggae to dancehall, dub, ska, jungle, afrobeats or cumbia alongside headliners such as Shaggy, Burning Spear, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Tarrus Riley, Steel Pulse, Misty in Roots, The Wailers, Morgan Heritage, Third World, Julian Marley, Ky-Mani Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Koffee or Spice.
Their announcement represents a new, and final, artistic ace up the sleeve to enrich this anniversary embraced by the slogan “Celebrating Life” and to reinforce the Caribbean roots that surround this mega-event of Jamaican music.
After revolutionizing the international scene with albums like “A lo cubano” or “Emigrante”, bringing Cuban reality and Afro-Latin culture to the center of the global music panorama, Orishas, multi-awarded at the Latin Grammys and with several Grammy nominations, will share with the audience their unmistakable blend of rap, son, Afro-Cuban rhythms and lyrics loaded with social content projected from the very heart of Havana.
Their stop in Benicàssim represents a true celebration of the cultural diversity that makes Rototom Sunsplash a unique meeting point in Europe and its commitment to connecting, cross-border and intergenerational sounds, just like the festival itself.
Rototom Sunsplash aims to consolidate itself as a collective experience in the eight days of this special edition – two more than last summer, making it the longest of its kind in the world. “It’s capable of attracting audiences of all ages and cultures through an open program, as much nocturnal as it is diurnal”, according to the organizers.
Thematic areas for audiences of all ages: science, games and urban culture
Thus, the concert venue will once again become a hive of activity from early afternoon, thanks to the different thematic areas that span its 100,000 square meters. From those aimed at the youngest audience: Magicomundo – located in a pine forest area with free games and activities for children; Teen Yard – with urban culture and sports areas for teenagers – or Rototom Circus; to the eagerly awaited Discovery Lab, the area to approach science through fun sessions and which confirms its presence for the second consecutive year in collaboration with the prestigious European research center CERN and alongside renowned scientists whose names will be announced in the coming days.
The Artisan Market will offer dozens of daily workshops, such as pottery, woodworking or illustration. Social Art Gallery will showcase to the public, in the open air, the art created live during the festival by the 15 artists selected for this edition, while the market will bring together multiple artisanal proposals, and even tattoo studios on wheels, in its nearly fifty stalls. The gastronomic area will gather this summer around thirty global dishes, from Jamaica to Ethiopia.
Pachamama, the space dedicated to personal well-being, will unfold its schedule of yoga, meditation and agroecology workshops; and Jamkunda, centered around African culture, will host crowded Afro-modern dance sessions as a prelude to the shows on its own stage.
This offer is completed by the Reggae University, with daily screenings and talks to delve into Jamaican culture, and the Social Forum, which returns to the Municipal Theater of Benicàssim, with free access, and which will soon announce its program.
More trees and free water in the campsite
The campsite adjacent to the concert venue expands its wooded area and will introduce as a novelty this year the free supply of filtered water through several points.
The camping area extends over 200,000 square meters with capacity to accommodate more than 10,000 people and has all the services, from toilets and showers to communal kitchens, supermarket, two cafeterias and restaurants, parapharmacy, mobile charging points and lockers.
More than two hectares of the campsite are reserved for families traveling with children, with larger, shaded plots protected from noise.
