Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-05-13
Photo: Courtesy of Dub Mission
For three decades, Dub Mission has helped keep the deep, echo-soaked spirit of dub, roots reggae, dancehall, and global bass alive in the San Francisco Bay Area. This spring, that long-running legacy comes full circle with a special one-time-only anniversary celebration in one of the city’s most beloved outdoor gathering places.
Crucial Reggae Sundays presents Dub Mission’s 30th Anniversary Celebration with DJ Sep, Vinnie Esparza, and Maneesh the Twister on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell / Music Concourse, located at 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive in San Francisco. The free, all-ages, family-friendly event runs from 4:20 pm to 7:30 pm. RSVP is available here.
“We’re looking forward to seeing old friends and playing some good music, Dub Mission style, in Golden Gate Park,” says the Dub Mission team. “Come through for this one-time-only, family-friendly event, presented by Crucial Reggae Sundays.”
Dub Mission showcased dub, roots reggae, and dancehall in the San Francisco Bay Area regularly from 1996 to 2019, making it one of the longest-running reggae parties in the world. It has been voted Bay Area’s Best Reggae Club five times: in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018. From the very beginning, Dub Mission was intent on giving classic and modern dub its due, making it a rare sort of reggae party.
That era also coincided with a great resurgence of interest in dub music through onstage performances and reissues. Dub Mission devoted special nights to the music of various reggae greats, including Bob Marley, Lee Perry, King Tubby, The Scientist, and Prince Far I. Throughout the years, the party also showcased classic roots, killer dancehall, and deep hybrid cuts.
Artists from all over the world and the U.S. have performed at Dub Mission. A partial list includes The Scientist, Adrian Sherwood (ON-U Sound System), Mad Professor (Ariwa Sound System), Mungo’s Hi Fi with Soom T & Solo Banton, Prince Fatty Sound System with Hollie Cook, Tippa Irie (Saxon Sound System), Zion Train, Overproof Sound System, DJ Vadim, Poland’s Radikal Guru and Dreadsquad, Twilight Circus Dub Sound System, Florian Seyberth of Boozoo Bajou, Dubblestandart, Pitch Black, Addis Pablo, Nickodemus, Subatomic Sound System, dr Israel, Blakkamoore, Tino Corp, and many others.
Fans can watch the Dub Mission documentary and hear live sets from Dub Mission online.
DJ Sep is a long-time San Francisco Bay Area DJ and producer, and the founder of Dub Mission. She spins dub, reggae, dancehall, bass, Jungle/DnB, Afrobeats, and more. Sep has spun at festivals and clubs in Spain, the U.K., Canada, Mexico, many cities in the U.S., and most clubs in the greater Bay Area. She has presented and opened for a long list of reggae and electronic artists, including Lee Perry, The Scientist, Mad Professor, Sister Nancy, The Wailers, King Yellowman, Sly & Robbie, Toots and The Maytals, Mykal Rose, Mungo's Hi Fi, Adrian Sherwood, Tippa Irie, Quantic, Akae Beka, and many others.
DJ Sep’s music and mixes can be found at Bandcamp and SoundCloud.
Vinnie Esparza has been a staple of the San Francisco DJ scene and has spun at various parties around the city for decades. In 2000, Vinnie won “Best Local DJ” in the Bay Guardian’s “Best of the Bay” edition. The next year he won the City Search Editor’s Award for “Best Local DJ.” He has also been nominated for “Best Local DJ” in SF Weekly in both 2001 and 2003.
Vinnie was the first DJ to play the Monterey Jazz Festival on its 50th anniversary and was asked to return the following year. He has also been asked to spin the Quebec City Jazz Festival, where he was again their first-ever DJ booking. He has compiled the Loose & Juicy collection for Vanguard Records, Viva CuBop 2 for Ubiquity Records, and coordinated the reissue of Bobby Montez’s Jungle Fantastique for the same label. Vinnie spins a wide variety of music, including roots reggae, jazz, hip hop, and soul.
Vinnie Esparza’s mixes can be found at Mixcloud.
Maneesh the Twister is a founder of Surya Dub, co-founder of the Asian underground Dhamaal artist collective, and a resident of Dub Mission. He hosted eclectic radio shows on KUSF 90.3FM and KPFA 94.1FM for many years. He has brought dubwize and global bass communities from around the world together, having toured around the U.S., India, U.K., Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Bali.
Maneesh was voted Best Club DJ in 2007 by SF Bay Guardian, along with both Surya Dub and Dhamaal Club Nights winning Best of the Bay in both the SF Bay Guardian and SF Weekly multiple times. He has shared the stage with legendary Jamaican producers Lee Scratch Perry and Scientist, Adrian Sherwood, Mala, The Bug & Warrior Queen, Flying Lotus, Mad Professor, Thievery Corporation, Francois K, Kode 9, State of Bengal, Om Unit, Kahn & Neek/Gorgon Sound, Smith & Mighty/RSD, Nickodemus, DJ Vadim, Marcus Visionary, Liondub, Alpha Steppa, Z-Trip, Antiserum, Roommate/Babylon System, Kush Arora, Poirier, Dan the Automator, Lyrics Born, Radikal Guru, and Rob Paine.
Surya Dub can be found on SoundCloud.
Crucial Reggae Sundays brings free, family-friendly reggae music to the historic Bandshell at Music Concourse in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, most Sundays from 4:20 to 7:30 pm. Produced by Illuminate LIVE and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, the series is hosted by residents Irie Dole (Jah Warrior Shelter Hi-Fi), Guidance (Infinite Guidance Sound/Nice Up Radio), and DJ Sep (Dub Mission), and features special guest live performances and DJ sets every week.
Crucial Reggae Sundays is part of Illuminate’s free music series in the park, featuring more than 125 concerts this year on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday afternoons, plus select Saturdays, through November 23. Over the past four years, Illuminate LIVE has made the 125-year-old Bandshell a hub for diverse musical genres and legendary performances, with more than 600 free shows attracting nearly 1 million music lovers to the park’s Music Concourse.
Event Details
Crucial Reggae Sundays presents Dub Mission’s 30th Anniversary Celebration
With DJ Sep, Vinnie Esparza and Maneesh the Twister
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Golden Gate Park Bandshell / Music Concourse
75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
4:20 pm to 7:30 pm
Free / All Ages
