Atlanta reggae festival delayed after promoter reports family bereavement

Patrons who had planned to catch one of the largest reggae and dancehall gatherings on the Memorial Day weekend calendar must now wait after organisers postponed Reggae Fest Atlanta, which was due on Saturday, May 23, at State Farm Arena.

The showcase had promised a deep roster of Caribbean acts, including Mavado, Beenie Man, Busy Signal, Spice, Tony Matterhorn, T.O.K., Ding Dong, Vanessa Bling, and Serani, along with several other names on the bill.

In a notice on the festival’s official website, promoter CJ Milan said the concert would not proceed because of a death in the family. The team apologised for the late word and for any trouble the change may cause ticket buyers.

“Unfortunately, due to a family bereavement, it is with sincere regret that we must postpone the ATL show scheduled for Saturday, May 23rd, to a later date,” the statement read.

Organisers told patrons that refunds could be claimed through the original point of purchase while they continued efforts to lock in a replacement date for the show.

A separate message sent to customers through Ticketmaster said refunds would be processed automatically once funds are received from the event organiser. That notice said repayments should show within 14 to 21 days on the same payment method used at checkout. Ticketmaster also said that for tickets passed between users, the refund would return to whoever first bought them.

On social media, many fans voiced let-down over the shift, though several posts also showed sympathy for the circumstances behind it.

The concert had drawn strong advance talk ahead of the US holiday weekend, largely because it would have placed major reggae and dancehall names on one Atlanta stage.

As of Monday, no fresh performance date had been announced publicly, and no further update had been posted on CJ Milan’s official social media pages.

Organisers said they were actively working to confirm a rescheduled date and thanked patrons for their patience and understanding.