National Stadium is now an entertainment complex; Port Royal an entertainment zone – Grange
The National Stadium in St Andrew has been named an entertainment complex while the eastern Kingston community of Port Royal has been designated an entertainment zone.
The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, made the announcement during the recent sitting of the Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee.
Previously in 2017 Grange had declared Fort Rocky in Port Royal the country’s first entertainment zone. While she did not offer a clarification, her announcement that Port Royal was now an entertainment zone suggests the entire community has been so designated.
Grange also told the committee that permission was recently granted by the Minister with responsibility for lands for her ministry to take possession of the rundown Jamworld Entertainment Complex in Portmore, St Catherine.
“We will be seeking to do the necessary infrastructure work to formally establish Jamworld as an entertainment zone,” Grange said of the venue that was known for many years as the home of ‘Sting’, the former ‘greatest one night show on earth’ that was held on Boxing Day, December 26 each year.
The entertainment minister also disclosed that several other venues were under consideration for designation as entertainment zones. These include the National Arena, Sabina Park and Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in Kingston, as well as The Little Theatre in St Andrew. She said there was also a focus to include entertainment districts that already have a reputation for having activities in multiple venues in a compact geographical area.
In Montego Bay, St James these include the Hip Strip while in St Ann it includes the area from Fantasy Beach in Priory, to Grisleys and the Negril Hip Strip in Negril, Westmoreland.