Burning Spear to Headline Reggae on the River Festival in August 2026

An 80-year-old two-time Grammy winner who helped make roots-reggae a global brand in the 1970s will headline Saturday night at Reggae on the River when the festival returns to County Line Ranch in Piercy, Humboldt County, August 14-16, 2026.

Burning Spear's booking lands in the same year IRAWMA named him recipient of its 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, with the 43rd staging of that ceremony scheduled for the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center on May 17. The confluence makes this one of the most decorated stretches of late-career recognition the roots legend has received, and the timing gives the Piercy crowd a headliner arriving at a genuine cultural peak.

"Reggae on the River is proud to announce that the legendary Burning Spear will headline Saturday night at Reggae on the River 2026," the festival announced via Facebook.

Spear arrives at County Line Ranch fresh off a 2025 tour alongside Ziggy Marley, whose father Bob Marley was one of Spear's closest collaborators during the foundational era when the two, alongside Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, built roots-reggae into an international movement. His 1975 album Marcus Garvey remains one of the most cited works in the genre, and songs like Slavery Days and Hail H.I.M. have anchored roots sets for more than 50 years.

Ephraim Martin, IRAWMA's executive producer, first observed Burning Spear's cultural weight as a Daily Gleaner photographer in Kingston during Jamaica's turbulent 1976 civil conflict. He has never lost sight of it. "Burning Spear is a quiet man but a powerful force. He doesn't get as much love in Jamaica now but thousands of people in Africa and Europe still appreciate his music. The love they show him is amazing," Martin said.

For Reggae on the River, Burning Spear's Saturday-night slot carries specific weight: he has stood on the County Line Ranch stage before, joining a lineage that includes Steel Pulse, Ziggy Marley, Buju Banton, Shaggy, and Luciano. This time he returns as the marquee act at a festival that has run for more than four decades as a cornerstone of West Coast reggae culture.

What started in the 1980s as a fundraiser for the Mateel Community Center in Humboldt County has grown into one of the longest-running reggae festivals in the United States. The 2026 edition spans three days on the banks of the Eel River beneath towering redwoods, where multiple music stages, culture and wellness workshops, artisan vendors, and on-site camping extend the experience well past any single performance. The lineup is described as ranging from roots reggae and dub through dancehall, world beat, and contemporary reggae across all three days, though only the Saturday-night headliner has been confirmed so far.

Tickets are on sale now through the festival's official site.