The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is giving Memorial Day Weekend a serious rhythm upgrade.
MIM’s Celebrate Reggae event takes over Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, with two days of live music, dance, hands-on workshops, curator talks, DJ sets, crafts, and cultural storytelling.
The celebration spotlights reggae’s roots, its global journey, and the way the genre has moved through culture far beyond the island where it began. Guests can dig into Afro-Jamaican drumming traditions, dancehall, mento-inspired instruments, documentary shorts, and the stories behind legendary artists whose instruments are featured at MIM, including the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari and Bob Marley’s band the Wailers.
The local flex? Every performer at Celebrate Reggae is based in Arizona.
That means the Valley’s own reggae scene gets the spotlight, from the soulful roots-rock reggae of Phoenix band Sharae and the Budderfly Effect to the hip hop-reggae blend of Dobra Sound and the feel-good sound of The Conveyors. While other reggae events bring in outside talent, MIM is putting Arizona artists front and center, and honestly, we love a hometown lineup with range.
Saturday brings a full day of reggae immersion, starting with a rumba box craft inspired by Jamaican mento music, plus a photo booth, a reggae drumming workshop with local musicians Walt Richardson and Dowell Davis, and a curator talk with Daniel Piper, MIM’s curator for Latin America and the Caribbean.
From there, the day moves into live music from Sharae and the Budderfly Effect, a reggae-through-time dance party with DJ Kenyattasaurus Rex, a dancehall workshop with Shaks from Phoenix dance studio the Jukebox, a pick-up-and-play instrument session with Girls Rock! Phoenix, and a closing performance from Dobra Sound.
Sunday keeps the good energy rolling with another day of rumba box crafting, photo booth fun, a reggae sing-along with Walt Richardson and Dowell Davis, and Piper’s curator talk on The Wailers, Rastafari, and Afro-Jamaican drumming. Guests can also catch The Conveyors, jump into a high-energy dance party with Jamaican DJ Skoolboi featuring reggae, soca, dancehall, and Afrobeats, watch documentary shorts on global reggae culture, and hear from Shola Roberts, assistant professor at Arizona State University’s School of Music, Dance, and Theatre.
Roberts’ guest talk explores reggae, dancehall, expression, resistance, and community identity, with movement as part of the experience. Because at Celebrate Reggae, the point is not just to hear the music. It is to understand how it moves through people, places, and history.
And because this is MIM, the experience goes beyond the stage. Guests can stop by Café Allegro for global cuisine from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, then browse the Museum Store for reggae-inspired gifts, music-themed accessories, books, CDs, and LPs.
It is part concert, part dance floor, part culture lesson, and part local music love letter. For anyone who wants Memorial Day Weekend plans with a little more bassline, Celebrate Reggae is bringing the good vibes indoors.
Insider Takeaways
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MIM’s Celebrate Reggae takes place Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, during Memorial Day Weekend. The event celebrates reggae’s roots, global influence, and cultural impact through music, dance, talks, films, crafts, and workshops.
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All performers are based in Arizona, giving the local reggae community a major spotlight.
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The lineup includes Sharae and the Budderfly Effect, Dobra Sound, The Conveyors, DJ Kenyattasaurus Rex, DJ Skoolboi, Walt Richardson, Dowell Davis, Shaks, and Girls Rock! Phoenix.
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Guests can explore everything from Afro-Jamaican drumming and dancehall to reggae instruments and global reggae culture.
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Café Allegro and the Museum Store add extra flavor with global cuisine and reggae-inspired finds.
To learn more, visit MIM.org.
