Reggae Geel

- June 24, 2015

Reggae Geel in Belgium is one of the oldest reggae music festivals in Europe, so we were very excited when we found out that Verse was going to be performing there in 2014. “It was my first season of being in festivals in Europe and to be included in the oldest reggae festival that attracted 60,000 people was just kinda surreal.” iTal said.

Travelling for about 2 hours from Antwerp Central to Geel by train we were met by our good friends from Culture Rock Soundsystem at the train station. We had some time before Verse needed to get to the venue so we went to the hotel to put down our bags and relax a bit. The hotel was just lovely. It was a quirky, old but well renovated space in the middle of the woods with very friendly and accommodating staff. Verse fell in love with the place immediately and if it wasn’t for his performance, a love that trumps all, we might have stayed there all day!

A ferris wheel was set up in front of Antwerp Centraal Station so we decided to take a ride

While we were waiting for out train we viewed the city from up high

On the train to Geel

Almost all the passengers on the train were heading to the festival

Geel! We reach!

Our Hotel, Fauwater

Fauwater Hotel

Beautiful aspects at Fauwater Hotel

The guys ready to roll to the festival

When we arrived at the venue my mind was blown as we watched crowds and crowds of people of all ages and descriptions, moving around the huge venue enjoying the very lively atmosphere. I was heartbroken that I wasn’t allowed to take photos! Only a few people, mostly official festival photographers, were permitted to bring cameras into the venue. (Luckily, they allowed me to take photos of Verse’s performance though). Throughout the grounds were several stages and areas where different types of reggae music were being played and various activities were happening. Well-known reggae acts like Damian Marley, BunnyWailer, Beenie Man, Chronnixx and Protoje, were part of the line up but I of course was most excited to see Verse iTal take the stage! His set was taking place in the yard and he started to sing to a small crowd that was gathered there waiting. Patrons walking by stopped and came closer to the stage and as his set moved along the crowd grew larger. I could tell he was having a good time as he smiled and interacted with the crowd. Later, I asked him what was his favourite part of the performance and he said:

“Well I spent most of my time backstage before the show so I wasn’t sure who was going to be in the crowd. I knew some family and friends were in Europe at the time and they were thinking of coming to see me. Some friends from Germany were also supposed to be there as well. When I hit the stage and I saw them cheering in front, it made the performance easy and joyful from the start as right away I saw people who are there to support and who enjoy the music. Just seeing those faces when I walked onto the stage was the best.”

After his performance we started walking around to explore all the areas. I would have loved to photograph one section in particular where there was a dance party going on in the middle of a tree-covered area. The sun was setting and the light shone through the trees casting a bright orange glow on all the people swaying to the reggae tunes. It was just beautiful and the warm orange glow really mirrored how I was feeling! I was filled with good vibes and I gave thanks that I was able to be there to experience all of this – especially to see Verse perform in this popular festival.

We spent the rest of the time wandering around, watching some great acts, dancing in the reggae tent and even picking up a few items from the shopping area. Afterward we made our way to the campsite where hundreds of festival patrons were spending the night. By now it was dark and it had gotten very cold. I sat liming at the campsite draped in a few layers of sweaters people kindly lent me. I was super cold at this point but I had such a great time at the festival I couldn’t even fathom complaining.