Entertainment venues needed - Mas Camp's recent closure, a blow to industry

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

With Mas Camp coming to a close recently, once again the need for more entertainment venues in the Corporate Area was highlighted.

Speaking with The Gleaner shortly after the venue's infrastructure was completely demolished, Jerome Hamilton, a member of the Quorum, who are the organisers of the popular Good Times party, said, a void would be left because of Mas Camp's closure. He described it as "a big blow to the industry."

But, he said the new development showed the need for more entertainment venues.

"I really hope that the powers that be will provide us with a venue that artistes can develop and provide entertainment for a country that rates entertainment so highly," he said.

Entertainment Zone

Vice-chairman/Executive Director of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) Charles Campbell also believes there is a need for venues. He said his organisation is currently lobbying for the establishment of an 'Entertainment Zone' that would tie in with the Noise Abatement Act and the Encouragement Act that was drafted more than a decade ago.

"Jamaica doesn't even have one proper concert hall, not one proper venue that was designed specifically for music. It's a shame that Jamaica, which is so famous for our music, doesn't have venues designed for live music," he told The Gleaner.

Campbell said JaRIA was advocating for at least one venue in each parish designated for live music, as well as at least two major concert halls in the country's two cities.

"That I believe will go a far way in enhancing our tourism product," he said.

He also noted that some of the biggest events staged in Jamaica were held at venues not designed for entertainment events. As a result, he said organisers spend massive sums on temporary infrastructure, making their overhead costs exorbitant.

Need identified

Campbell's talks of a concert hall are not new, as Delano Franklyn, former minister of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, mentioned it back in 2006.

"I think the time has come for us to do that. We can't be scurrying around to find a venue in Kingston, the capital of reggae music. We need to bring all the stakeholders together to have a reggae concert hall," Franklyn said at the time.

One of the promoters for The Official And Original Wata Party, Floyd Green, said there was definitely a need.

"There is a dire need for more entertainment venues," he said, adding that the Noise Abatement Act also had to be considered when choosing venues.

"What is really missing in Kingston is a nice indoor venue that is reasonably priced that can hold at least 2,000 people," he said.

Unlike most venues in the corporate area, he said Mas Camp was one of the venues that could hold some medium to large-sized parties and also came with built-in infrastructure like a bar and gate system.

But Green said this was not just a Corporate Area problem. He said Montego Bay's main party venue is Pier One, while Catherine Hall in Montego Bay and the Trelawny Multipurpose Stadium in Trelawny are only for major events.