FestivalIthaca Reggae FestThird World
Ithaca Reggae Fest Returns to Stewart Park With Third World and The Skatalites
The 8th annual festival runs June 26-28 at Stewart Park, with a free Friday welcome party, morning yoga both weekend days, and proceeds going to Cayuga Lake protection.
Apr 23, 2026
ITHACA, N.Y. — The 8th annual Ithaca Reggae Fest returns to Stewart Park on Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28, closing with The Skatalites and Third World on the Sunday.
Friday is free. A welcome party runs 5 to 9 p.m. at the park’s Large Pavilion with The Night Nurse on the decks, Cha Cha & Notorious Stringbusters and the GIAC Jumpers.
Weekend and single-day tickets cover Saturday and Sunday. Children under 16 get in free on either day with a ticket-holding parent or legal guardian.
The music, day by day
Saturday opens at 9 a.m. with yoga led by Yoga Farm Ithaca, running 108 sun salutations, and music starts after midday. The bill runs Easy Star Records’ Flying Vipers, Syracuse funk, soul and hip-hop trio Sophistafunk, Will of the People, The Night Nurse, Jamaican vocalist Carlton Livingston backed by Dub Apocalypse, Jesse Royal, Papa Michigan also backed by Dub Apocalypse, and 10 Ft. Ganja Plant to close.
Sunday also opens with 9 a.m. yoga, with music from around 1 p.m.: DJ Art-V, Roadman, RDF, Mosaic Foundation, iGNiTE!, the all-female Strykers Posse, then The Skatalites and Third World.
A festival built around the lake
The festival states its purpose as the protection of Cayuga Lake through a celebration of Ithaca’s reggae community and its history. Since the first event in 2017 it has raised money for, and awareness of, environmental organizations, and a portion of ticket sales goes to local environmental advocacy groups.
Its own on-site program, Lake Discovery Village, gathers water protectors, scientists and community activists working on the health of Cayuga Lake.
The festival began in 2017 with a group of roughly 15 to 20 community members and now runs on more than 100 volunteers.
Beyond the music
The Greater Ithaca Activities Center runs the Youth Village and Art Village. Saturday carries a Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ’ Cultural Celebration honoring the region’s Indigenous heritage.
The 5th annual Flat Attack US Pro/Am Championships of Flatland Freestyle Skateboarding takes place on the Stewart Park tennis courts, free and open to the public without a festival ticket.
This year’s edition also carries an emphasis on Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa, which hit the west of the island in October 2025. Friday’s free party invites donations to the Jamaica Hurricane Relief Fund, and Starlight Jamaica, run by two teachers at Lehman Alternative Community School, is a relief partner.
Tickets and parking
| Tier | Weekend | Single day |
|---|---|---|
| Friday welcome party | Free | |
| Limited early bird | Sold out | n/a |
| Tier 1, through April 21 | $55 | $35 |
| Tier 2, April 22 through June 26 | $75 | $45 |
| Gate | $95 | $60 |
| Under 16 | Free with a parent or legal guardian | |
Parking inside Stewart Park is new this year at $10 a day. Once it fills, a free shuttle runs from the Ithaca High School and Boynton Middle School lots. Bike Walk Tompkins provides free bike valet.
Tickets are available through the festival.
The 8th annual Ithaca Reggae Fest, June 26-28, 2026, Stewart Park, 1 James L. Gibbs Drive, Ithaca, New York 14850. Friday admission free. Proceeds support environmental work on Cayuga Lake.
Sources: Ithaca Reggae Fest, Ithaca Reggae Fest tickets, Ithaca Reggae Fest / Cayuga Lake, NYS Music, The Ithaca Voice.
