Benicasim I Sunday, August 16, 2026.- Rototom Sunsplash launches its 31st anniversary this Sunday with the opening of the box office and an unprecedented festival day in the event’s history: the first Welcome Party, which will turn the eve of the official start—scheduled for Monday the 17th—into a celebration of eight hours of uninterrupted music. With this welcome party, the international reggae and culture gathering in Benicasim sets in motion an edition that will run until Saturday, August 22, under the motto The Place to Be.
Despite the international context affecting mobility and travel to major cultural events, the organization expects an attendance of 25,000 people per day, similar to previous editions, “thanks to the loyalty of our audience,” explains director Filippo Giunta. The festival’s global character is once again evident in the origin of attendees: Rototom already registers participants from 100 countries, with Spain leading and a notable presence from France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and the United Kingdom. They are joined by audiences from Latin America and various countries in Asia and Africa, consolidating Benicasim as a global meeting point around Jamaican music, culture and togetherness.
A welcome party to kick off from day zero
The major novelty of this edition will take shape this Sunday starting at 8:00 PM, with a Welcome Party offering eight hours of uninterrupted music. The line-up will spotlight emerging national talent through the three winning projects from the second edition of Rumbo a Rototom: Mountain Tops, from Cantabria; Sotabosc, from Barcelona; and Iyaman Pablo & Irie Reggae Vibes, from the Canary Islands. The three acts will share this opening festival day that precedes the six official days of the festival.
The party, held for the first time in Rototom’s history, is free for people registered as residents in Benicasim and also for those holding a ticket or festival pass for this edition, while there is also specific Welcome Party access for audiences wishing to join only this festival day, priced at €15 at the box office.
The Welcome Party will also serve as a natural bridge to Monday, August 17, when the 31st edition will officially begin, with twelve hours a day of musical and cultural activity across its half-dozen stages and non-musical spaces.
This year’s Lion Stage will unveil the daily line-up , starting at 8:00 PM. The official start on Monday will be led by Sudanese artist Mo Ali alongside The Islamic Roots, opening an evening of roots rhythm that will be completed on the Sun Stage by the conscious reggae of Luciano & Jah Messenjah Band (10:35 PM) and the charismatic Ivorian artist Alpha Blondy alongside The Solar System (1:00 AM). Opening this Sun Stage presentation (9:05 PM) will be the foundational Jamaican ska band, Skatalites, alongside British singer-songwriter Alpheus.
The first night will also welcome Mr Vegas, continuing the exploration of Jamaican music currents (2:35 AM, Dancehall); British artist Hollie Cook, as an example of the fresh and creative energy running through the reggae genre in Europe today (11:55 PM, Lion Stage); and on the national front, Barcelona rappers Las Ninyas del Corro (Lion Stage, 2:35 AM).
The afrobeat, dancehall and global urban sound connection will also materialize with the presence of British artist P. Montana, DJ Lilas from Turkey and La Unión (Western Sahara) on Jamkunda Stage. Meanwhile, the universe of deep bass and the sound system culture of Dub Academy will add Atlas Sound (10:00 PM); Bababoom ft Jules I (12:00 AM) and King Earthquake (2:00 AM).
But Monday’s activity will begin well before the concerts. The first official festival day will unfold a rich programme across its non-musical spaces from five in the afternoon, from family and youth-oriented areas such as Magicomundo (which presents for the first time Cuentoteca and will host among its first activities a workshop on African instruments with Pájaros de Viento and a storytelling session) and Teen Yard (with parkour, urban basket and 3×3 football); to the African Jamkunda, with its debate space Ataya Social Café and participatory Afro-modern dance classes (daily from 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM); Pachamama, with a Synchronicity session, led by Laia Molina (6:30 PM); and Rototom Circus, which will open its doors with a juggling show by the company Pendrafoc (9:45 PM).
The Rototom Social Forum, organized by the Exodus Foundation, begins its 2026 edition on August 17 with the first of its four sessions. At 6:00 PM, the Benicasim Municipal Theatre will host the debate Culture, music and well-being: tools for building hope, a gathering bringing together neuroscientist Álvaro Pascual-Leone and community psychologist Betty Roca Hubbauer, featuring journalist Sergi Pitarch as moderator and a musical performance by Congolese artist Doudou Nganga.
PRESS CALL: Five years of plastic-free alliance
This Monday, August 17 (11:30 AM), Tuawa by Global Omnium and Rototom Sunsplash will present at a press conference the campaign ‘The drop that gives life to the forest’, a project commemorating the fifth anniversary of the sustainable alliance between both organizations that has enabled Rototom Sunsplash to become the music festival with the lowest plastic generation at European level.
- DAY: Monday, August 17, 2026
- TIME: 11:30 AM
- VENUE: Reggae University tent, at the Rototom Sunsplash venue. Access: South Gate
- ATTENDING: Susana Marqués, Mayor of Benicasim; Jorge Blanco, Director General of Quality and Environment of the Generalitat; Israel Martínez, Director General of Tourism of the GV; Andrés Martínez, Second Vice President and Tourism Deputy of Castellón; Dionisio García, CEO of Global Omnium; Juan Monrabal, CEO of Tuawa, and Fiachra McDonagh, Head of Sustainability at Rototom.
