This year the Rototom Sunsplash, the reggae festival par excellence, celebrates its 25th anniversary. And, once again, at Noches del Botánico we will have the opportunity to enjoy a foretaste of what will be experienced in August in Benicassim with a reggae party that will delight lovers of the genre.
On Sunday, July 22 we will have Ky-Mani Marley on stage at the Botanical Garden: faithful to his Jamaican musical origins and the intrinsic stamp of his surname, which he has enriched with more urban rhythms such as blues, hip hop or rock. Also performing will be the Madrid combo Emeterians, the project in which Brother Wildman, Sister Maryjane and Maga Lion merge their voices, a project that is growing steadily. Finally, we will have the presence of the Valencian Mediterranean Roots.
A luxury first course to make the wait until August more bearable. Because what Rototom Sunsplash is organising for this 25th birthday is very big. There is a lot of history behind this festival. We have made a small list of some curiosities below:
1) It was born in Italy in 1991 as a cultural collective formed by a group of friends.
2) The first Rototom Collective's first activity took place in a small concert hall where all kinds of music genres where all kinds of musical genres linked to the label of 'alternative' were alternative'.
3) The collective Rototom collective has always been closely linked to cultural and social activism: its first mobilisation their first mobilising action was the occupation of an old factory which they renovated and and turned it into a venue and meeting point for concerts, exhibitions, talks and other activities, exhibitions, talks and other activities... This lasted for three months, until they were evicted by the They were evicted by the Italian authorities and the space was closed down.
4) The first space in which the Rototom Sunsplash took place, with the concept of a festival, was the garden of a discotheque. festival concept, was the garden of a discotheque. Later, they made the leap to the Girasole Girasole, which meant professionalisation, in 1996.
5) After the various movements in Italy, in 2000 the big change of location took place: The festival is moved from Italy to Spain. The reason? According to Rototom explained, it was due to the institutional persecution to which the Italian government subjected them. Italian government, which even implicated the festival's director, Filippo Giunta, in a legal court case on charges of promoting marijuana consumption. He was acquitted in 2015.
6) It has grown exponentially over the last two decades: from the decades: from around 2,000 attendees at the beginning to 220,000 in 2017. to the 220,000 that filled the venue in 2017.
7) It is the biggest reggae festival in Europe and one of the most one of the most inclusive in the world: last year it brought together 13,000 under-13s, 11,200 over-65s and 7,600 disabled people. 13, 11,200 over 65 and 7,600 people with disabilities.
8) The Rototom Sunsplash is recognised since 2010 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as an Exemplary Event for its Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) as an Exemplary Event for its work in promoting the work in the promotion of the Culture of Peace and Nonviolence.
9) The concerts start at sunset. During the day you can choose from a multitude of activities: workshops, meditation, yoga, sea, conferences...
10) In these 25 years, music legends such as Jimmy Cliff, Stakalites, Julian Marley, Alpha Blondy, Gilberto Gil, The Wailers, Asian Dub Foundation, Youssu n'dour, Alborosie or Ky-Mani Marley, who we will enjoy at Noches del Botánico 2018.
If you're still hungry for more, we recommend you press play on this documentary made by the festival last year, which will give you a first-hand experience of the beginnings and evolution of Rototom:
