Ghetto Splash organisers say Christmas will particularly be ‘merry’ this year as the concert – a staple of the yuletide season the last three decades – heralds a comeback after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

Highlighting that Christmas this year is expected to be the first one void of curfews and restrictions on live entertainment since the pandemic, Patrick Roberts, founder of Ghetto Splash is bullish about the event.

“Ghetto Splash will return to the Waterhouse Mini Stadium on December 20 and it will be one of the most exciting times in recent years as you can imagine. Christmas for the last two years was ‘bleaky’ because of the pandemic and so people are just really excited about celebrating the season the way they are used to again,” he told OBSERVER ONLINE. “That means music and live events galore and Ghetto Splash can’t wait to be a part of all that. We consider it a blessing that we were able to bounce back from the pandemic and are now looking on with excitement for the Christmas period so we can indulge in what we do best — music and just having a good time as a people.”

Recalling the event’s 30th staging in 2019, Roberts said enquiries were being made about the year-end event since January.

“From January 1st people start asking me about Ghetto Splash but we had to wait on the go ahead from the Government. When everything opened up we didn’t hesitate to request permission to host the event this year and we got the blessing and started planning,” he revealed, pointing out that even Prime Minister Andrew Holness has expressed to him a desire to pass through the concert this year.

“We had an excellent 30th staging in 2019 which saw the prime minister coming out. He said he was very impressed with the production and has indicated to me that he will be back this year again,” Roberts said.

The organiser also shared that several top-notch entertainers, including a host of dancehall’s newest talent, have already expressed an interest in being on the show’s lineup.

“People must understand that Ghetto Splash is a prime platform especially at Christmas time. Over the years we’ve had Jamaica’s best grace the stage. In 2019 we had Sean Paul and Shaggy and that was a huge deal for us. This year, we’ve already got entertainers like Jashii, Skeng, Brysco, Marksman and others express an interest in touching the stage,” he said.

Roberts went on to say that for these young entertainers, this will be their first Ghetto Splash since emerging on the dancehall scene and many of them are eager to touch the stage.

“When I spoke to artiste like Jashii, he said Ghetto Splash deh here before him born and is a show he always wanted to be a part of. He said he didn’t get the opportunity to do so when he was just coming through the gates as an entertainer and he’s really looking forward to getting that opportunity,” said Roberts. “Ghetto Splash has always been a platform for young artistes to showcase their talent and for many of these new acts, they have not really got the chance to show local fans what they’re capable of.”

With the date now set, Roberts told OBSERVER ONLINE that all that’s needed to completely seal the deal for the concert’s return is sponsorship. He expressed that for the past few years, Downsound Entertainment has been a key sponsor and he’s looking forward to working with them again this year.

“We still await word from the CHASE fund and the Ministry of Entertainment. We still also await word from our main sponsors, Downsound Entertainment, who for the past few years have been dedicated to Ghetto Splash. Without Downsound we wouldn’t have been able to carry on with the event and we have no doubt that they’ll be back on board this year we’re just awaiting official word,” he said.

“We are still, however, appealing to corporate Jamaica, especially the beverage companies to support us. The persons who attend Ghetto Splash every year are the same persons who form the main customer base for these companies. We just asking that they come onboard and help make these people feel good for the Christmas,” said Roberts.