Hong Kong reggae and ska festival organiser on bringing ‘voice of freedom’ for 10 years
Hong Kong International Reggae Ska Festival planner Paul Thompson shares why the city jives with Jamaican music and 2026’s ambitious line-up
Paul Thompson grew up in the UK during the “two-tone” wave, a musical movement born in the late 1970s that saw the fusion of English punk and Jamaican genres such as ska – the fast-paced, brass-heavy music often said to be the precursor to the slower, more bass-heavy reggae.
The festival, taking place at PMQ in Central on May 30, will feature Mouse FX, a home-grown artist who sings reggae songs with Cantonese lyrics; Mexican reggae and rocksteady band Travelers All Stars; UK reggae DJs and producers Mungo’s Hi Fi; and Errol Dunkley, the Jamaican music legend whose six-decade-long career has seen him collaborate with the likes of Joe Gibbs and Prince Buster.
Thompson believes Hong Kong’s multiculturalism makes it the perfect place to host reggae and ska music.
“[The music is] so diverse,” he says. “It’s also very open to the kind of different cultures taking it on. So this Mexican band, Travelers All Stars, they really have a little bit of a Latin flavour.”
The Red Stripes All Ska Orchestra, a specialised big-band iteration of the ska and soul band will also be included in the line-up.
To commemorate HKIRSF’s 10th anniversary, local reggae band Umoja Rootz will perform using the first-ever Hong Kong-made sound system, manufactured by Heavy Hong Kong.