Rebel Salute

Rebel Salute is a cherished annual music festival in Jamaica, celebrated every year on January 15th to commemorate the birthday of its founder, Tony Rebel. This festival is renowned for its dedication to roots and conscious music, providing a unique and uplifting experience for its attendees.

Tony Rebel launched Rebel Salute in 1994 in Mandeville. For many years, the event was held in St. Elizabeth, but since 2014, it has been hosted at the Richmond Park Estate in Saint Ann Parish, expanding into a two-day celebration of music and culture.

At one point, the festival was known as Pepsi Rebel Salute, due to a sponsorship deal with PepsiCo that lasted for three years. The organizers believed that Pepsi products were more aligned with the festival's ethos, which includes a strict no-alcohol and no-meat policy on-site.

An interesting aspect of Rebel Salute is its effort to highlight the positive sides of dancehall artists, even those who don't typically produce conscious music. To achieve this, the festival frequently presents these performers under their real names rather than their stage names, a practice initiated by Tony Rebel himself. This approach aims to showcase a different, perhaps more genuine, side of the artists to the audience.

Rebel Salute remains a significant event in Jamaica's cultural calendar, attracting music lovers from around the world who come to enjoy its unique and positive atmosphere.