Rototom Sunsplash’s channels broadcast the concerts and debates to more than 3.7 million viewers worldwide.
El Rototom Sunsplash se reafirma como encuentro mundial en torno a la cultura jamaicana en su recién clausurada 30ª edición. After eight days of much more than music, the event said goodbye last night, on a day of protest inside and outside the stages – with the socially critical lyrics of Ivorian Tiken Jah Fakoly and the flashmob to build ties with Palestine that preceded the opening of the Main Stage – celebrating its three decades of history.
More than 218,000 people from 111 countries have helped build this ephemeral and global reggae city which, from August 16 to 23, has hosted the concert venue of Benicàssim. Audiences from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the United States, New Zealand, and Japan have joined the roar of the iconic lion to materialize the “Celebrating Life” theme that has surrounded this special anniversary and confirm the open, diverse, and multicultural profile of Europe’s largest reggae festival.
The broadcast through the festival’s website, social networks, and YouTube channel has allowed 3.7 million people around the world to enjoy the main concerts, as well as the sessions of the Social Forum or the talks of the Reggae University.
In purely artistic terms, the line up of this “Celebrating Life” has brought more than 200 shows and DJ sets to the six stages of the venue (Main Stage, Lion Stage, Dub Academy, Dancehall, Jumping and Jamkunda) and the seventh, SunBeach, which the festival sets up every summer on the Gurugú beach in Castellón.
Marley essence for a line-up as diverse as the festival itself
Alongside reggae, the festival’s sonic engine, its different stages have also featured dancehall, hip-hop, dub, ska, afrobeats, cumbia, and even reggae-metal. The 30th edition featured dancehall exponents such as Shaggy and Spice; Burning Spear, a global representative of the most mystical reggae; Tiken Jah Fakoly, who bid farewell last night with his activist and conscious reggae to the “Celebrating Life” edition, and Koffee representing the most contemporary reggae. The stage nods to Bob Marley and the 80 years that the Jamaican legend would have celebrated this 2025 have been led by his children, Julian Marley and Ky-Mani Marley; The Wailers, Marley’s band; and Marcia Griffiths, a key member of the I Threes, who accompanied Bob Marley & The Wailers on backing vocals and showcased her stage empowerment at the concert on August 21.
Hip hop with Cuban son and lyrics full of activism from Orishas stirred up the penultimate evening of an edition with many other international artistic aces, such as Tarrus Riley, Steel Pulse, Misty in Roots, Morgan Heritage, and Third World; and which has been well represented by the state scene: from Morodo from Madrid to Pure Negga and his viral project Pure Negga Reggae Cypher; the live with band of Chalart58 & The Soul Adventurers; Lasai; Emeterians celebrating 20 years of career; Mango Wood; the fusion of the Catalan band Maruja Limón or the ska-rock from Álava by ETS (En Tol Sarmiento).
Rototom Sunsplash has also been enriched during these eight days with a program of extra-musical proposals for audiences of all tastes and ages.
The informative science of Discovery Lab convinces in its second landing at the festival
In its return for the second consecutive year, the Discovery Lab space, dedicated to scientific dissemination and promoted together with the prestigious CERN research center, has once again become one of the most acclaimed extra-musical areas with proposals as fun as the workshop to learn how to make ice cream with liquid nitrogen – with daily tastings of this refreshing dessert -; the theremin exhibition and class; magnetic snacks or talks about the universe and AI with the Discovery Lab scientific team.
More than 1,200 people support the six sessions of the Social Forum
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the climate emergency, the transformative power of stories, and the challenges of interculturality have been some of the topics addressed in the Social Forum, the festival’s space for reflection, which has once again been held at the Teatro de Benicàssim, with free access. It has gathered more than 1,200 people in the six sessions organized, according to data from the Exodus Foundation of Rototom, promoter of the Social Forum. This space has been visited this year by expert voices such as Raquel Martí, executive director of UNRWA Spain; the indigenous leader and minister of Brazil Sonia Guajajara; the biologist and researcher of the CSIC Fernando Valladares; the journalist from La Sexta and director of the program Salvados Fernando “Gonzo”; or the illustrator and cartoonist Flavita Banana.
The reflection on current social issues has also jumped to other spaces such as Jamkunda, with debates on immigration or the fight against racism, through novel proposals such as the play “No es país para negras”, by the actress, director, and anti-racist activist Silvia Albert Sopale; or literary presentations such as “Tierra de Luz”, by the journalist Lucía Mbomio, which focuses on the seasonal workers of the south and the injustices that are experienced in the countryside. For its part, Pachamama has given voice to groups that intervened during the dana emergency, and to agricultural entities affected by the catastrophe, and that have shared stories of solidarity and self-management as mechanisms of resilience in the face of what happened.
A family-friendly festival with easy access
Both the diverse cultural offer – and adapted to each age – as well as the logistics of the venue and the campsite, with areas reserved for families and in an environment without crowds, have favored the arrival of family audiences for another year. This year, 16,966 children under 13 years of age and 11,202 people over 65 years of age have come to the venue to enjoy all kinds of proposals.
The dozens of plans to do as a family without leaving the venue, with areas with their own programming such as Magicomundo or Teen Yard, add to the attraction of the facilities for access, with 50% discounts for the adolescent public (from 13 to 17 years) and the symbolic, unique, and socially purposed payment of 10 euros for minors (in addition to people with disabilities – a total of 2,479 this year – and over 65).
More social profile, with eyes on Gaza
Precisely this contribution of 10 euros for inclusive passes is one of many solidarity initiatives that Rototom Sunsplash has promoted this summer for its 30 editions. All the funds obtained through these contributions from the public will be fully allocated to finance social projects of four organizations: the research lines against muscular dystrophy of the local NGO Conquistando Escalones; the Rock A La Par initiative for the inclusion of people with disabilities through the music of the Fundación A La Par; the School of Dynamizers and Human Rights Defenders of AIPHYC, which works to empower and dignify the work of home and care professionals and guarantee their rights; and the supply of resources for the Al Nida’s Hospital that Human Call manages in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein El Hilweh (Sidon, Lebanon).
Following the support for the Palestinian population, and the festival’s commitment to peace and human rights, the 30th edition has launched ‘Move 4 Gaza‘, a collective action that has brought the spirit of Palestine to the heart of the festival through three cultural proposals – a competition of breakdance, a dakbe dance workshop, or a solidarity market – to show a small part of the cultural life of Gaza and donate 100% of the funds raised to four projects that continue working in the Strip: the Camps Breakers dance school; the Foursan Trouppe for Art company; the Breaking 48 collective; and Free Gaza Circus Center.
For their part, the works that make up the Social Art Gallery, and that have been created live during the festival by the 14 artists selected in this edition around the theme “Celebrating Life”, will allocate all the funds obtained from their sale to support social projects.
30 international gastronomy proposals
The festival’s outdoor restaurant has once again explored the flavors of the world through dishes for all tastes, with gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options. Jamaican patties or ackee and saltfish – the island’s national dish – have resonated with Ethiopian injeras and other proposals of African gastronomy such as thiebouyap (a Senegalese red rice with beef) or dibi grilled (lamb or chicken with ripe plantain and mustard), or with the limeño-style chicken bao bread, corn in multiple versions, crepes, or wood-fired pizzas.
Thus concludes a special anniversary that is already looking to 2026, the year of its 31st edition, which will be celebrated in Benicàssim from August 16 to 22.
