Honda Reggae Music Festival
First Honda Reggae Summer Festival in Thailand's Hua Hin
Hua Hin’s Jazz Festival is a long established musical event and attracts and enthusiastic crowd of jazz lovers. Now it is to be joined by a new annual music fest the Honda Summer Reggae Fest and if the enthusiastic throng at this inaugural event is any indication then the festival should be a resounding yearly success.
Hua Hin’s first Honda Summer ReggaeFest at Khao Ta Kieb Beach, the musical theme for this opening festival was eclectic and electrifying although reggae was the main theme there was also bossanove, ska and dance giving a nice mix of musical styles.
From the midday opening chords to the final notes at 2 am the large and enthusiastic crowd were treated to over 100 Thai and foreign DJ’s along with 20 bands who had travelled across the globe to entertain us. And they included some big names of reggae, ska and dance like Thailand’s own R&B diva ‘Lydia’, joining her were Modern Dog, Groove Rider, Kai Jo Brothers, the Teddy Ska Band, Job 2 Do, Mr. Z, Mai, Swan Drive, T-Bone, and Modern Dog, these bands and their music attracted the younger crowd.
The foreign bands included Indonesia’s Agrikulture and from the US Swan Dive and from the UK alterative music scene Lo-Fi All Stars gathered to provide a truly memorable musical set.
Despite the low season’s threatening skies the crowd, both Thai and foreign visitors were entertained throughout the day and night with some excellent bands and thrilling music. Dancing and carousing until the early hours of Sunday morning.
The good natured crowd was a mixture of young and not so young, Thai and Caucasian. Some of the younger spectators took the opportunity to stage their own impromptu dance exhibition showing off their skills and agility from just doing their own free-style thing to stylish and enthralling displays of break dancing and hip hop.
If you are not a fan of reggae or ska then don’t be put off by the Honda Summer Festival the mix of music is broad and there will be something to entertain you and to get you on your feet dancing and tripping to the more mellow sounds.
There is much to keep you and the kids occupied with traditional fun games like hoopla, toss the horseshoe (well it is Hua Hin), and rides on the beach with some very quiet horses indeed.
From the first guitar riff at the stroke of mid-day to the last chords at two the following morning, the Honda Jazz Festival lived up to its name; it was a true festival indeed.
To paraphrase a famous American soldier – you will return and perhaps next year.
