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On July 16 2010, almost a year ago, Bobby Clarke CEO of Irie Jam Media and his executive team made the difficult decision not to stage the 2010 installment of Irie Jamboree, North America’s premier reggae festival. In a carefully worded press release, event executives listed five (5) reasons why the festival was cancelled.

After carefully considering the concerns of music lovers and looking on the entertainment landscape in the USA, Clarke said Irie Jam Media will re-enter the foray with a mammoth music event slated for Labor Day Sunday, September 4 2011 at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, NY.

While Clarke said he was not at liberty to disclose any details of the 2011 event at this time, he gave some indication as to which acts he would love to book as headliners for the event.

“We all woke up to the news last Saturday morning that Mavado had secured his visa and was in fact here in the USA. I can tell you we have already spoken to Mavado’s manager Julian Jones Griffith numerous times about booking him for our event. He definitely is interested in performing. Discussions are still in progress but I will be the first to let you know once we have a signed contact” Clarke noted.

In explaining the decision to try to book Mavado, Clarke said, “He is still one of the hottest acts currently in the game. The fact that he has not performed in this market in such a long time makes him very attractive to us. And if you recall, we were the ones to book Mavado for Irie Jamboree 2008, almost one year after his visa was first revoked. We worked hard with his management team to make his appearance at that the festival a reality. It would be great to have him perform at Roy Wilkins Park again in 2011” Clarke stated.

In terms of other acts that are under consideration, Clarke indicated that he was reliably informed that a few of the top tier dancehall acts may have their visa reinstated, possibly before the end of the summer.

“I have personally called Beenieman to get more information about his visa situation. The fact is that the visa situation is a very fluid matter that can change at any time, so all cards are on the table. We are talking to Jr. Gong about performing. Tarrus Riley is still hot and Freddy McGregor is a solid performer as well” Clarke said.

Full details of the Labor Day Sunday event, slated for September 4, 2011 at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens will be announced by Clarke’s team at a press event in New York at a date and time to be announced soon. The press conference will be broadcast live online by David Cassanova and his team at DC-Digital. DC-Digital will handle live streaming of the 2011 Reggae Sumfest from Montego Bay, Jamaica.

“We have some major announcement to make about the 2011 that I am confident will revolutionize the industry as we know it in the tri-state area. Irie Jamboree has over the years set a precedence in the industry in terms of production and presentation. Irie Jam Media is planning to take things to another level for 2011 and beyond” he stated.