The University of South Wales announced it will be sponsoring the 2024 Reggae and Riddim Festival. 

The festival at Tredegar House on July 26 to 28 aims to be Jamaica's most authentic Reggae culture festival in Europe. 

The line up

Friday Brunch - 4pm till 10pm

  • Music, gourmet meals and brunch-style bookable tables with service included

Saturday - 12 till 10pm

  • Bitty Mclean

  • Queen Omega

  • Da Fuchaman & The Fire Blaze Band 

  • Omega Nebula

  • Morgan Elwy & the 'Bach O Hwne' band

Sunday

  • Dance exchange showcase ft. 6x & Jukebox Collective

  • Tarrus Riley ft. Dean Fraser & the Blacksoil Band

  • Johnny Osbourne & The Uppercut Band

  • Aleighcia Scott with a full live band

  • Empire Flipz

  • Gemini Don Surround Sound

It has been organised by Award-winning youth arts and advocacy charity, Urban Circle Newport in partnership with the Rastafari Indigenous Village from Montego Bay. 

They will engage local young people from Newport primary schools, secondary schools and community groups, in a series of events prior to and during the festival.

Young people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds will have the opportunity to engage in new forms of training and explore avenues and receive training.

This will include not only in life skills such as teamwork, team building, self-confidence, responsibility, and professionalism, but also have the opportunity to gain qualifications in dance coaching, youth work, first aid, food hygiene, and more.

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The university's sponsorship is part of their Race to Equity Journey. Zoe Durrant, USW’s Chief People and Inclusion Officer, said: “The Reggae and Riddim festival is an amazing event and we are proud to be a part of it.

“Our vision is to change lives and our world for the better and we can only do this if we aim for equity, diversity, and inclusion - working with partners like Urban Circle Newport is integral to achieving our goals.

“We recently launched our latest Strategic Equality Plan demonstrating our commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where our students, colleagues, and partners can collaborate, innovate, and flourish.”

Loren Henry, Co-founder of Urban Circle Newport, said: "This project aims to use different forms of creative arts to tackle multiple social problems affecting vulnerable young people in and around Newport community.

"Music has a very powerful connection and providing the young people with an opportunity to create something of their own will inspire confidence as well as a sense of ownership and identity within their creative field.

“Our goal is to build a long-lasting international project that creates Europe's most authentic Reggae culture festival. Thank you to USW for their continued support.”

Tickets are available here.