Reggae On The Mountain is back for its 14th annual Topanga event. Founded in 2009 by Topanga Locals Amit Gilad and Brooks Ellis, Reggae On The Mountain is a Topanga music festival which, like Topanga Days, brings together people of all walks of life, but this time unified by a specific, beloved, music genre, and message of love and inclusion.
I spoke to Gilad and Ellis about the festival, and they shared with me some of their backstory, and talked about how Reggae On The Mountain has evolved over the years, their personal highlights of past years, and their hopes for the future of the festival. The community that has blossomed from bringing reggae to the Canyon is truly inspiring.
Gilad and Ellis grew up together in Topanga. They were both in a band, and always active members of the community, helping out with Topanga Days and other community events. When I asked them why they initially wanted to bring Reggae to the canyon, Gilad explained: “When we were kids, the first campout festival we had ever heard of was Reggae on the River…so we all went up there as teenagers and had a blast and…naturally we thought, you know, that was so much fun, let’s do one down in Topanga. So, the rest is history.”
Reggae On The Mountain consistently succeeds in bringing different cultures and communities together to all share in the inclusive message of One Love, a message that always resonates with Topanga. Ellis says: “Amit and myself—we’re from Topanga, we’re rock ‘n’ roll guys…so Reggae was not only a way to bring some diversity to the canyon, but also to us, and learn about, and explore new cultures and bring people together.”
The festival isn’t just good vibes, it’s actually making a real difference. Ellis continues: “It’s been a real blessing to get to work with these [artists] and share community and culture, and also support the Reggae community because it’s a small niche community…and to be able to host this event and put money in these artists’ pockets—it makes a big difference.”
In addition to helping to keep Reggae alive, the festival is also a fundraiser for TCC, and partnered with the Los Angeles County Firefighters Emerald Society and Station 69, raising funds for our firefighting heroes. Ellis also emphasized how wonderful it’s been to “…be able to share our beautiful town and community of Topanga Canyon with other people as well,” since so many non-locals attend the festival in addition to Topangans.
I asked Gilad and Ellis about past performers they’ve hosted at the event that have really stuck with them. “The feather in our hat, so to speak, I think was Toots and the Maytals, which was so cool,” Gilad said. “He’s as legendary as it gets…and he passed away a few years ago, so it was really cool to be able to do Toots while he was still around.”
Reggae On The Mountain has hosted Steel Pulse multiple times, Barrington Levy, Uhuru Black, and many musicians from the Marley family, including Ziggy Marley, Julian Marley, and Ky-Mani Marley. “We’ve gotten to work with so many of the living legends of Reggae,” said Ellis, full of appreciation.
Gilad and Ellis are particularly excited about this year’s headliner, an up-and-coming contemporary Reggae artist who is gaining popularity: Protoje.
“What’s cool too about this year,” Gilad says, “…is, you know, we’ve had all these legends, but I think this year we have the most relevant, current artist we’ve ever had as our headliner, Protoje, who is super on the forefront, the cutting edge of this new roots Reggae movement out of Jamaica. We have a lot of the legends this year as well, like Don Carlos, and Yellowman, but I don’t think we’ve had as current, as hot, of an artist headlining as [we do] this year.”
Ellis told me that he and Gilad travel a lot and that it’s been amazing to see how many people out there have heard of their festival, Reggae On The Mountain. “No one really knows us, the producers, but that’s the way it should be. People should know the event, know the town, know the love, so it’s cool to see it out there in the world.”
Gilad and Ellis want Topanga locals and curious non-locals to know that. “Reggae On The Mountain is for everybody. That’s what’s so cool about the genre, and about the festival, is it’s super inclusive, everyone’s gonna have a good time. I always say, I challenge anybody to find a better vibe. [At Reggae On The Mountain] the vibes are immaculate, the love is in the air.”
The event is also family friendly, and kids 12 and under are free. “Sharing community is what it’s all about,” says Ellis, “and bringing [people together]…and reggae does that well. It’s the heartbeat of humanity—the one drop of Reggae.”
Reggae On The Mountain 2026 will be held at Topanga Community Center on July 25. The artist lineup this year includes Protoje, Don Carlos, Yellowman, Chalice, Marlon Asher, Kat Hall, and more. Make sure to check out their website for more information, and to buy your tickets! reggaeonthemountain.com
