Reggae Month 2026 in South Florida to Be Dedicated to Two Reggae Greats

Reggae Month 2026 in South Florida will be dedicated to two of the music’s greats who died recently. They are singer-songwriter/actor Jimmy Cliff and guitarist Stephen “Cat” Coore of Third World, who passed away in November and January, respectively.

Jimmy CliffGrammy winners Inner Circle are promoters of the month-long series which is dotted with live events. They include the Reggae Genealogy Outdoor Music Festival in Plantation on February 7 which will honor Leroy Sibbles of The Heptones and Mr. Vegas, one of the standard bearers for contemporary dancehall music.

Legendary drummer Sly Dunbar of Sly and Robbie fame, was also scheduled to be honored at that event. He died in Jamaica on January 26 at age 73.

Ian Lewis, bassist and co-founder of Inner Circle, said all Reggae Month events will have a Jimmy Cliff/Cat Coore flavor. Performers are required to perform songs by both artists.

Other events on Reggae Month South Florida are Rastafari Day (at NoMi Village in North Miami) on February 15; Rhythm By The River (at Esplanade Park in Fort Lauderdale) and Family Fun Day (at Fort Lauderdale Beach) on February 22, and Praise On The Green (Miramar Town Center Plaza) on February 27.

With the death of many reggae pioneers in the last five years, Lewis stressed the importance of events like ‘Reggae Genealogy’ which takes place at the Island SPACE Caribbean Museum.

“It will speak about the genealogy of the music, where it started from, what films it’s used in and where it is headed in the future. It will show the significance and the maturity of the music,” he said.

Cliff, a two-time Grammy winner, made his name through classic songs such as The Harder They Come, You Can Get It If You Really Want and Sitting in Limbo. He played the starring role of Ivan in The Harder They Come, the 1972 movie directed by Perry Henzell.

Coore was best known as guitarist for Third World. He was also an original member of Inner Circle which Lewis formed with his brother Roger in Kingston in 1968.

In 1973, Coore and keyboardist Ibo Cooper left Inner Circle to start Third World.  That band’s many hits include 96 Degrees In The Shade, Now That We Found Love and Reggae Ambassador.