Popular Tacoma reggae event moves to new venue, expands. Here’s where and who’s playing

Reggae on the Way, a music festival based out of South Tacoma, is expanding to two days this year, bringing more performers to a bigger venue across town.

The event has outgrown its original home on South Tacoma Way from 54th to 56th streets, said organizer Dan Rankin, and his team is excited to relaunch it at Haub Family Field at LeMay Car Museum this weekend. The venue can accommodate up to 7,000 people, and tickets are still available — single admission, package discounts and VIP.

Rankin and his wife Jessica hosted their first outdoor reggae concert in 2017, the same year they opened Airport Tavern. A few thousand fans hit the street every August from 2017-2019 and then again in 2021, following a pandemic hiatus.

The 2022 festival — promoted with octopus-taking-over-the-mountain artwork from Justin Oltesvig — runs Aug. 20-21.

In addition to several bands with women leads, the lineup includes artists that lean into hip-hop, which Rankin said “changes the vibe of what we’re doing.”

“I just know that Tacoma’s really linked into underground hip-hop,” he said, noting the first-time Tacoma appearance of Protoje, a Jamaican-born artist whose mother, Lorna Bennett, first gained fame as a singer in the 1970s. He joins Kolohe Kai, a Hawaiian reggae-pop ensemble, and Filipino-Hawaiian musician Hirie as the Saturday headliners.

The first-day lineup also includes three groups from the Pacific Northwest: Ian Ayers and The Soul Purpose, Dub Lounge International and Coloso.

“Our plan has always been to nurture our music scene here,” said Rankin. “There’s a plethora of bands from the Pacific Northwest here that are reggae bands, and they’re really good. Usually we have one or two, but with two days we’re able to punch it up a little bit more.”

On Sunday, Iration, a Hawaiian band that has played festivals across the country since 2008, joins the docket with Georgia-based Passafire and The Grouch with DJ Fresh, the second of two hip-hop acts. The show rounds out with Maui-based singer-songwriter Anuhea as well as more West Coast artists, including Bellingham’s Perfect by Tomorrow and Salt Lake City’s Analea Brown.

REGGAE ON THE WAY MOVES TO LEMAY

Despite not being physically “on the Way” anymore, Rankin said the bigger space next to LeMay means the event can be more things to more people.

The festival can grow here, he said, adding they might consider a second stage in the lower Tacoma Dome parking lot next year.

Fans can enjoy more than just music: There will be more food trucks, more water-refilling stations (reusable bottles permitted), lawn seating (BYO blanket and folding chair) and a recreation area with games like cornhole, giant Jenga and Connect4. A wellness tent will be stocked with necessities one might forget, like sunscreen and ear plugs, as well as massage chairs. In addition to the main beer garden, VIP ticket holders will have access to a dedicated food truck and private bar, plus extra shade. An interactive art area will be open to guests, and all ticket holders have in-and-out privileges.

“We coin it as a family-friendly festival catered to adults,” said Rankin.

It’s a change of pace for his team, which had just 12 hours to set up for the street festival on South Tacoma Way.

“These streets aren’t designed to host a festival,” he said.

Rankin has experience with all of the above, having curated the live music for the Sixth Avenue Business District’s Art on the Ave when he worked at Jazzbones before opening Airport Tavern.

“It’s hard to ask the neighborhood to put up with two days of noise,” he continued. One-day shows, such as their Aug. 14 show with J Boog & The Green, are more achievable. “We are planning on doing something more community-oriented for 2023,” likely a free-admission event revolving around art and music that will involve other local businesses.

The two-day Reggae on the Way festival follows a July show at Haub Field with Slightly Stoopid, Pepper and Fortunate Youth.

“I’m excited to show people that this is a great space,” said Rankin. He has heard comparisons to Marymoor Park, a popular outdoor concert venue in Redmond. “I’m really trying to create something a little bit different and a little bit more special. I believe Tacoma deserves that.”

REGGAE ON THE WAY

▪ Aug. 20-21, reggaeontheway.com

▪ Haub Family Field at LeMay Car Museum, 2702 E. D St., Tacoma

▪ Gates open at noon, music starts at 1 p.m.

▪ Tickets: $55-$69 single-day, $99 two-day (advance only), $50 VIP add-on