Rototom Sunsplash locks in the musical backbone of its 31st edition, set to take over Benicàssim (Castellón) from 16 to 22 August 2026 under its motto: The Place to Be. More than fifty new acts bring the bill to near completion. After an opening chapter dominated by the contemporary end of the reggae and dancehall spectrum — with Major Lazer Soundsystem, Shenseea and Protoje among the headliners already announced — Rototom now moves deeper into the roots and foundation side of the culture, while still keeping the doors open to different sounds from across its many stages.
Rototom Sunsplash has always been as much a pilgrimage as a festival, drawing together devotees of Jamaican music and its wider diaspora, and this edition is no different. The 2026 programme balances contemporary with foundation weight with characteristic confidence. Before the main six days get under way, a brand-new Welcome Party on 16 August sets the tone: more than eight hours of music featuring Iyaman Pablo & Irie Reggae Vibes, Sotabosc and Mountain Tops — winners of the ‘Rumbo a Rototom’ talent search — with free entry for all 2026 ticket-holders. Those arriving without a pass can join in for €15.
Few names carry quite the same cultural and spiritual weight as Alpha Blondy, the Ivorian elder statesman whose mix of militant consciousness, pan-African vision and timeless melodies has shaped reggae’s international landscape for over forty years. He lands on Monday 17 August, backed by The Solar System, sharing the same night with an artist carrying the same cultural and spiritual weight: Luciano & Jah Messenjah Band, whose voice remains one of the most distinctive in the conscious reggae canon.
The festival’s reverence for the old school runs through the bone of this line-up. The Itals & The Roots Radics bring their deep-cut authority on 19 August; while the evening of 21 August belongs entirely to roots cadence, with Bushman & The Grassroots Band and Twinkle Brothers delivering a night of unhurried, righteous reggae. Joining the Caribbean contingent on Monday 17 is Sudanese artist Mo Ali with The Islamic Roots, extending the music’s reach across the African continent.
Rototom has never been a festival content to stand still, and Tuesday 18 August makes that plain, with French outfits THK and Twan Tee drawing lines between reggae, dub, hip-hop and contemporary urban sounds through their own distinctly Gallic lens. The dancefloor dimension gets further weight from the legendary Jamaican selector Tony Matterhorn on the 20th and New York veterans King Addies on the 21st, in an atmosphere already charged by Gold Up, Calabash Crew, Kharloss Selektah, Jea and Javs. A heavy bass experience also powered by an international dance crew featuring Miss Rose, Kultcha Mouv’Ment Dancer’Z, Lyroï Féwoss Squad and Em_Gyal, bringing a striking visual force to proceedings.
For those who live and breathe sound system culture, the programme delivers in depth. A secret-artist show with Greenlight ft Lasai bridges toward the roots spirit anchoring this announcement, whilst the special session 1988 Takeover w/ Jçao ft Davojah & Jael — with further surprise guests in tow — promises an immersion in analogue warmth and heavy vibration. Completing the picture: King Earthquake, Iration Steppas, Blackboard Jungle ft Marky Lyrical, Bababoom ft Jules I, Lionsden ft Black Omolo, Dubdawa, Dub Chained ft Judy, Ital Power ft Benji Roots, Higher Meditation, Atlas Sound, Yakkas, Skank 45 and Redland ft Hugo Otto & Jaime Budokai.
The line-up stretches even further with Serena (19 August), one of the strongest voices in the Spanish reggae and dub circuit, with a sound that moves naturally beyond genre boundaries. On the 20th, the Argentinian-Catalan outfit Andrés Cotter & The Barcelona Ska Beat bring a hybrid ska sound shot through with jazz, swing and big-band exuberance. And the closing night of 22 August belongs, in part, to Barcelona’s Rowsi and the wholly original spectacle of A Tango-Reggae Soundclash Show w/ Los Guardianes de Gregory ft Rey — a clash between Buenos Aires and Kingston that could only happen at Rototom.
The afrobeats, dancehall and global urban axis is bolstered by British artist P. Montana, DJ Lilas from Turkey and Nigerian artist Dre Tala — three acts that reinforce Rototom’s position at the centre of the afro-descendant avant-garde.
The local voice is represented by Castellón’s own Boqueronians on Thursday 18 August, whose festive, cross-cultural sound keeps the festival rooted in the community that hosts it.
With the musical core of its programme now virtually complete, Rototom Sunsplash can set its sights fully on August: six days and nights on the Castellón coast, from 17 to 22 August, opened by the Welcome Party on the 16th, with twelve hours of non-stop activity every day. And as any Rototom regular will tell you, the real festival starts long before the headliners hit the stage.
A community that starts building every afternoon long before the music hits Rototom’s six stages. From the Social Forum discussions on justice, human rights and sustainability to the talks and film screenings at Reggae University. From craft and agroecology workshops to yoga sessions and natural therapies in the Pachamama area. Jamkunda brings afro-modern dance into the mix, while Teen Yard focuses on sports and urban culture for younger generations. And in the pine-shaded Magicomundo space, the youngest massive gets its own world of games and storytelling. This is Rototom: the gig is never just the gig.
