Skip Marley makes first Belize performance at Music World Festival

Skip Marley’s first trip to Belize gave the inaugural Belize Music World Festival an immediate boost, with the Marley heir arriving on April 24 alongside Taurus Riley and stepping straight into the weekend’s reggae spotlight. His landing at Philip Goldson International Airport turned a new festival into a headline event before a single note was played at Marion Jones Stadium.

The concert was set for Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Marion Jones Stadium in Belize City, with Skip Marley and Taurus Riley at the center of the bill. Festival promotions also listed Pen Cayetano, J. Cas, and DJ Dalla, giving the first annual edition a lineup that mixed reggae star power with local and regional names. Event listings were not fully aligned on timing, with some showing a 7:00 p.m. start and others listing 8:00 p.m., but the venue and date were consistent across the promotion.

Skip Marley made clear that the Belize date carried special weight because it was his first performance in the country. He said he wanted to bring the Marley message to a new audience while carrying the spirit of Jah, reggae, and his family legacy with him on stage. He also said he was looking forward to Belizean culture, the food, and the energy around the crowd, a first-visit storyline that gave the show extra momentum before doors opened.

That matters for Belize’s reggae scene because the booking did more than fill a stadium date. It gave the first annual Belize Music World Festival a recognizable Marley name, the kind of pull that can lift turnout, widen media attention, and turn a debut event into a name fans remember for next year. For a new festival, landing Skip Marley and Taurus Riley in the same weekend was a clear statement about ambition.

Marion Jones Stadium added another layer of local meaning. 7 News Belize described it as Belize’s premier outdoor sporting facility, and the venue carries the name of Belize-born Olympic athlete Marion Jones, who was once welcomed home as a national hero. Putting a first-time Belize performance there tied the festival to one of the country’s most visible stages, and gave the debut a setting that matched the scale of the booking.