It’s a new look, name and venue for the annual holiday stage show formerly known as the GT Taylor Christmas Reggae Extravaganza.

The event organised by media and music personality GT Taylor, will sport a new look and feel, including a line-up featuring fewer acts and more music when it is held in St Elizabeth on Christmas Day, which is in keeping with what the promoters described as reflecting the demands of millennials.

The event will now be staged under the name Euphoria, and will be at a new venue — the Sand Bar Beach on Crane Road in Black River, St Elizabeth.

Taylor explained that this rebranding was necessary given the changing tastes of the younger party-loving generation who prefer to hear a constant string of reggae, dancehall, R&B and rap hits.

“The Christmas Extravaganza 2019 will be rolling out a new format and at a new location this year. The new format is a direct result of requests made by the younger patrons who are asking for more dancing and music and fewer artistes,” GT Taylor said.

“Extravaganza Euphoria 2019 is really just an original dancehall party experience using only four top dancehall artistes, top party selectors and an original sound system. Patrons will be treated to more dancing in between artiste performances. It will be a whole new ‘euphoric’ experience, something to remember,” Taylor added.

He further shared that by holding the event on a beach, it is hoped that a more festive ambience will be created for Christmas Night, a return to basics for an event that started out as a dance at Hendricks Wharf in Black River 19 years ago.

“The event will start at 5:00 pm and we will be doing everything to recreate that Yuletide vibe and spirit,” he said.

Last year, Taylor and his team experimented with a park-and-watch option, designating an area where both tourists and Jamaicans could watch the show from their buses and motor vehicles from a sloped area that operated like an amphitheatre.

“Jamaica’s top sounds and selectors are going to make sure the event is lit. We are going to have a great party mix this Christmas,” he said.