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Ska and reggae fans are in for a treat on December 19, as the Smiley Fest gets underway on Ban Amphur beach in sunny Pattaya. The event, which runs from 4pm until dawn on Sunday, is the brainchild of Thailand's favourite ska outfit, T-Bone and is the second reggae festival to be held in the Kingdom this year. And just like at the Chang World Reggae 2009 at Bang Saen in October, Smiley Fest is being sponsored by the beer giants and features several top acts from Europe and the Caribbean.

"We cam up with the idea of organising a reggae event after played at several overseas festivals, including Glastonbury, and discovering there was much more to reggae and ska than we knew. We felt Thai people should also make that discovery," says T-Bone founding member and guitarist, Nakarin "Golf" Teerapenun.

Headlining Smiley is the nine-member outfit The Skatalites from Jamaica, who first formed back in the '60s and has been playing with more or less the same line-up since 1983. They'll be followed by London-based Ska Cubano, who combine aka with mambo and calypso, Babyhead, a 10-piece ska-hip hop band and one of the UK's fastest growing independent acts, British freelance sound engineer and record producer Prince Fatty featuring Jamaican Little Roy, plus Windy City, Korea's undisputed ambassadors of reggae music.

Thai acts include the Kai-Jo Brothers, Ga-Pi, Siracha Rockers, The Superglasses, Skalaxy, Teddy Ska Band and T-Bone themselves.

"It's time that Thais had a chance to see the original artists live. Compared with the top artists of other genres in the Billboard charts, The Skatalites and Ska Cubano are the best. But this festival is designed for people of all ages," says Golf, who is also a jazz guitar instructor at Silpakorn University's Faculty of Music.

"Anyone who like ska will enjoy this festival," confirms Piyawit "Champ" Khanthasiri, violinist with Teddy Ska Band. "We're really proud to be performing on the same stage as The Skatalites, whose classic songs are still played these days, although the band hasn't come up with a new album for 40 years."

The reggae and ska trend has strengthened considerably over the past year and, says Golf, has reached the stage where it appeals to a mainstream Thai audience.

"Most older Thais associate reggae through the music of Bob Marley. Today, it's different. With the Internet, music has no boundaries and many teenagers have one or two Skatalites songs in their MP3 players. Artist selection doesn't depend on hits but more on fashion. We have this image of the Skatalites as the first generation of the Jamaican ska band to dress in green, yellow and red - reggae colours. That's trendy again today and considered part of ska culture," says Golf.

"When T-Bone plays at gigs or festivals, the audience isn't just made up of reggae heads. These days, rock fans also come to reggae festivals. Often, we're booked to go on stage after big rock acts like Big Ass or Slot Machine and we inevitably find that the audience gets just as excited whether they're listening to rock or reggae.

"Three years ago, we went to Singapore for Womad 2006 and played with Jimmy Cliff. We found that the Singaporeans, who aren't as open-as the Thais, were excited by the sound. I think Thais will come along to the festival," he says.

But Golf is also realistic. He knows that while reggae is popular today, it might well be out of fashion by this time next year.

"It's something every organiser has to face," he grimaces. "We have a budget and plans but no mandate over what people like."

Mambo jambo

Tickets are Bt800 at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.