Rain delayed the start, but it could not wash away the love. Tosh Fest 2026 drew a big crowd to Woodstock Beach in Negril, Westmoreland on Saturday, 17 October to honour reggae giant Peter Tosh and mark 50 years since his 1976 album Legalize It.

The line-up

The night opened with a Nyabinghi drumming ceremony and a screening of Tosh’s musical legacy. His son Andrew Tosh then delivered some of his father’s hits, while Anthony B brought his trademark fire. Poet Mutabaruka, Grammy-winning songwriter Medisun, conscious act Karbon, young artistes Dahvid Slur and Aza Lineage, and selector Rory Stone Love completed the bill.

Anthony B summed up his devotion in one line: “While others were doing other things, I chose not to follow the crowd; I chose to follow Peter Tosh.”

The festival is staged by the Peter Tosh Foundation, led by his daughter Niambe McIntosh, who said she was “moved by the turnout” despite the weather. Holding it in Westmoreland was deliberate, she explained: “We made the intentional commitment to hosting the celebrations in the parish he loved.” She hopes the event grows into a fixture on Jamaica’s cultural calendar that also benefits local residents.

Tosh Fest capped a week of tributes, including Taste of Tosh at the Peter Tosh Museum on 14 October, Tosh Talks at Edna Manley College and UWI, and a dawn Nyabinghi session plus an Ethiopian Orthodox Church blessing at his resting place in Belmont on 19 October, National Heroes’ Day and Tosh’s earthstrong. Equal rights and justice, always, from all of us at RTMRADIO.NET.

Source: Jamaica Observer