Negril To Get Entertainment Park To Accommodate Large International Music Festivals

Entertainment and Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange on Saturday added a location at the north side of Negril, reportedly with the capacity to accommodate large international music festivals, to the Government of Jamaica’s list of entertainment zones to be created across the island.

The Minister made the announcement during the Negril Entertainment Association’s Conference, following the presentation of a proposal, site plan and architectural designs, by NEA president Ryan Morrison.  

Morrison had explained that the selection of the venue was done in tandem with the influential Negril Chamber of Commerce and the Negril Chapter of the Jamaican Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), following recommendations made by Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett that the NEA pinpoint an appropriate government-owned location.

Grange, in turn, expressed that she was happy that the longstanding issue of the “right property in the right location to build out an entertainment zone” had finally been resolved.

“And as you know we are responsible for building out entertainment zones and that has been part of the conversation here in Negril…  But our work is done for us. So what we have to do now is look at your recommendation,” she said. 

Grange also noted that the funding for the entertainment zones had been set aside by the Minister of Finance Dr. Nigel Clarke, following the presentation of a “full guide of instructions” from Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

“Minister of Finance looked at me one day and he shook his head and he said: ‘I don’t know what is happening with these entertainment zones we are suppose to be rolling out, but we have the money, but you just have to come to us with the right plan’,” she said.

Following the round of applause which followed, Grange cautioned that the process of getting the plan implemented would take a significant amount of time.   

“I am happy yuh clap, but these things take time you know.  We have to go with the plan to Public Investment Committee.  But before we even get to the committee where the Minister chairs that body and they decided whether to give the funding.  But we have to go through a long process,” she said.

“We actually came down looked at another location which was suggested by the Minister of National Security, but based on what we hear now and see, with everybody on the same page, this other location it seems is the way to go.   One thing has come out today is that we can move now as one,” she said.

Grange also informed that phase one buildout of Fort Rocky another entertainment zone in Kingston, was now complete. 

“Phase two is set to begin immediately to including putting in bathrooms and other infrastructure, placing perimeter fencing and erecting a proper entrance and exit to the venue,” she explained, adding that the Seville Heritage Park in St. Ann had also been “repurposed, given a facelift and is now open for events”. 

“So Negril is now here on the list, because you have found a place and you have a design and you will be a part of that build-out,” she said.

Days prior to the conference, Morrison had bemoaned the fact that because there was no entertainment venue in Negril large enough to keep international music festivals akin to Reggae Sumfest and Rebel Salute, outside of the winter tourist season, the resort town was unable to realise the full potential of using music to attract a larger number of visitors to the destination.

He had said that entertainment, once used right, could be useful in tourism’s off-season, since Negril typically sees a robust number of visitors only between December to March.

The NEA conference is the ninth of 11 Reggae Month events endorsed by the Ministry of Entertainment and Culture, which are being held Negril, long renowned as the mecca for live Reggae music in Jamaica. 

The conference which was held under the theme “Entertainment Industry as an Engine for economic Growth in Negril”, had among its key goals, the creation of a Plan of Action for the current and long-term development of the Entertainment Industry in Negril.