Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg once again became the national mecca of reggae music, this time celebrating the 10th anniversary of Reggae Rise Up Florida. Fans eagerly awaited the opening of the gates, the start of the music, and an all-time high in vibes. With over 50 acts throughout the weekend, headlined by legends Sting & Shaggy, Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, and Dirty Heads, fans from across the country were in for an experience they would cherish for a long time.

Personally, this was my first Rise Up festival in any location. For years, friends have told me this is the place to be for someone who loves this scene as much as I do. While I always believed them—and suffered from serious FOMO—it never lined up for me. But this year, fresh off a very Stoopid time in Mexico, back in the freezing temps of New Jersey where my wife and I live, and with an all-too-familiar foe, Mr. Seasonal Depression, breathing down our necks, we knew we had to book the trip. 

Spoiler alert: we made the right decision.

The Arrival

Stepping out of our Uber on the first day, we were immediately hit with a buzz of excitement. The streets, blocked off by police for the festival, were filled with smiling faces. A familiar medicinal scent lingered in the air, outfits were colorful and fun, and you could hear live music in the distance for the entire walk to the gates. The energy was palpable, and judging by the look on everyone’s faces, we weren’t the only ones feeling it.

As soon as you step through the gates, you’re greeted by art and food—is there a better duo? Huge murals lined the perimeter, painted by incredible artists, some of whom were still putting on the finishing touches. I got a chance to chat with a few of them, and they were just as proud to be there as the musicians we came to see.

Next, you walk through rows of vendors selling everything from food to clothing to incense—all operated by some of the friendliest people I’ve met in a long time. Just like the artists, they were truly grateful to be part of the event. There was plenty of great food, but special shoutout to Get BAKED Stuffed Pretzel Rolls – I’m a pretzel junkie, and their Philly cheesesteak-stuffed soft pretzel hit the spot.

Dirty Heads

Slightly Stoopid

The Headliners

Each night’s headliner delivered exactly what you’d expect—an incredible, larger-than-life set. Seeing Sting & Shaggy perform together was a dream come true. As a lifelong Police fan, hearing Sting’s voice in person was pure magic. 

Slightly Stoopid ran through all the fan-favorite jams and even brought out Matisyahu and Chali 2na (The Verbal Herman Munster).

A fireworks show kicked off Rebelution’s set during “De-Stress,” leading into everyone’s favorite “WHOA OH OH OH OH OHHH” moment. What followed was what has become the norm—a perfect set that sounded like a studio recording come to life.

To close out the weekend, Dirty Heads brought insane energy to the Rise Up Stage. ROME came out for “Lay Me Down,” Jared and Duddy sounded phenomenal, and the crowd never stopped dancing and rapping along from start to finish.

Kabaka Pyramid

The Elovaters

Aurorawave

Standout Performances

While the headliners drew the biggest crowds, many acts stole the weekend. If you ask a hundred people their favorite set, you might get a hundred different answers. That’s the beauty of festivals.

• The Elovaters had one of the most talked-about sets of the weekend.
• Bumpin Uglies turned their set into a full-on party, which I watched get rowdier by the second from the raised bleacher section.
• Aurorawave melted faces with heavy reggae, introducing many fans (myself included) to their live magic for the first time.
• Kabaka Pyramid gave us an amazing performance of his Grammy winning album.
• The Sub Herbs had their local fans out early, jamming.
• Pepper almost caused an earthquake with the energy they brought.
• Kyle Smith brought punk to the park.
• DENM had a sound issue, but what followed was incredible—the crowd sang “Find Your Own Way” word for word, creating a live music memory I’ll never forget.
• Tropidelic went so hard, they literally brought a storm in. (Seriously. It caused a delay in the performances.)

Tropidelic

Kyle Smith

After a full festival evacuation and a couple-hour delay, the crowd was reenergized. As soon as the gates reopened, The Movement got things started again like nothing had happened. The set was so fun, even Rootfire’s Director ended up inside an inflatable ball, getting passed around by the crowd.

Throughout the weekend, Sugarshack—a Rise Up Florida staple at this point—gave us incredible acoustic performances on their own stage. Some of which were Bombargo, Sensamotion, SOJA, Vana Liya, Dale and the ZDubs, and ROME. 

And if you had any energy left after the festival, the after-parties each night with Mihali, Bikini Trill, Surfer Girl, Bumpin Uglies, and Passafire at The Floridian were wild.

Curious to receive some feedback from other attendees, I asked people what their favorite part of the festival was:

“Meeting new friends who share the same love for reggae music. So refreshing.”

 — Gabriel from Utah, by way of Honduras

“Rebelution’s set was awesome! I was not expecting fireworks at all!”

— Daniel B. from Fort Myers, FL

“Definitely the people I met! And Dan Kelly fist-bumping me on stage!” 

— Josh W. from Quincy, IL

“The music and the peeps!” 

— Lawrence M. from San Antonio, TX

“Meeting Kyle Smith and seeing Rebelution. Also, meeting a StickSister in person!”

  — Stephanie N. from Dunnellon, FL

Room for Improvement

Were there a few hiccups? Sure—but with a festival of this magnitude, in Florida’s unpredictable climate, that’s inevitable. 

While the overall experience was great and the good far outweighed the bad, there were a few issues worth mentioning:

• Sound issues: Several bands had technical difficulties, and while that happens, it shouldn’t be a consistent problem.
• Overcrowding: Some larger sets and the Sugarshack Stage were nearly impossible to navigate.
• Rail viewing confusion: GA had to look from behind GA+, VIP had to look from behind VIP Platinum—it felt like a logistical issue that could have a better solution.
• Litter: This one’s on us as festivalgoers. Yes, big events get messy, but let’s do better at respecting the beautiful park that welcomes us back every year  

That said, the positive vibes prevailed, and hopefully, constructive criticism is heard so next decade can be even better.

When it was all said and done, we had an amazing time. We saw so many friends we only see once or twice a year, met countless new ones, and experienced some of the best reggae music in the world.

This may have been our first Rise Up, but something tells me it won’t be our last.