The Elements That Made It A Success
Vermont Reggae Festival History 1986
The very first Vermont Reggae Festival was held at Battery Park in
Burlington Vermont on Saturday July 18, 1986. The humble start was the
City Of Burlington Parks Deparment granting permission to creator and
founder Bobby Hackney, who along with friends Alfred (Tuna) Snider, and
two University Of Vermont students, Jeff Nicholson and Pam Peck
Ketcham formed the very first committee to oversee the organization and
opreration of the festival officially named “The Committee For Vermont
Reggae Festival.”
With a humble begining that attracted between nine and fifiteen hundred
people, the very first Vermont Reggae Festival concluded with rave
reviews from attendees and city officials alike, and paved the way for a
annual event that caputured the hearts and fun-loving spirit of the city of
Burlington Vermont for six years.
The Very First One!
In an era where festivals devoted to
peace, love, and understanding had
become a way of summertime
living, the very first Vermont
Reggae Festival by way of word-of-
mouth created such a tremendous
buzz that everyone in the local
community either knew about, or
anticipated the festival coming to
Battery Park in Burlington on
Saturday July 18, 1986. All
welcome, free to the public.
Good Music And
Community
Throughout the 80s, Burlington
Vermont became it’s own special
“musical community” launching the
careers of such artists as The
Unknown Blues Band featuring Big
Joe Burrell, Phish, Lambsbread,
The Decents, Pinhead, The Cuts,
Tammy Fletcher, Dave Grippo, and
many other artist who went on to
achieve notiriety. This could not
have happened without the
support of two now legendary
entertainment clubs, Hunts and
Nectars along with the undying
support of a music-loving
community. This was truly the
bridge to the very first Vermont
Reggae Festival.
The Peacful Vibe Of
The People
What started out to be a music
festival turned into an organic-
environmentally concscious, peace
loving event dedicated to clean up
and orderly conduct that captured
the heart of the community and the
entire state.
Recognition From
The City And It’s
Media
After the launching of the first
festival, The founder, committee,
and the city officials along with all
municipal departments saw the
possibility that this festival could
be an asset to the culture of the
community and even a financial
boom to the local summer
economy. And each following year
proved they were right. This was
the beginning of amazing history
about to be made in Burlington
Vermont for the next five years.
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Jah Cutta & The Determination Band
Lambsbread
Afrikan Roots
Small Conquerer Hi-Fi
Cleon Douglas
Natty PA
Jah Roy
Winston Reed
The Styles
Oblique Wave
Channel 2 Dub Band
