Sumfest promises increased safety measures after Festival Night One stampede

Reggae Sumfest is promising to implement "additional crowd control and safety measures" for the remainder of the festival following an incident which led to a stampede on Saturday morning.

Festival Night One of the event ended in chaos inside the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex in Montego Bay, leaving several patrons injured and raising concerns about crowd safety.

In a statement, organisers acknowledged the incident and said emergency protocols were activated promptly. “Unfortunately, the incident led to injuries among several of our patrons,” the release stated, adding that a review is underway with law enforcement and security consultants.

Despite the incident, Festival Night Two, which takes place tonight, is still scheduled to proceed. The statement noted that the team is working with Montego Bay police and fire officials to ensure the safety of patrons going forward.

Festival Night One featured performances from top dancehall artistes such as Masicka, Govana, and Tommy Lee Sparta, and included the long-awaited return and official crowning of Vybz Kartel as king of dancehall on the Reggae Sumfest stage. However, tensions in the crowd led to multiple skirmishes throughout the night.

One incident reportedly interrupted the on-stage crowning of Kartel, and another — more serious — saw patrons push down a fence separating general admission from a section of the VIP area. This breach triggered a stampede that resulted in panic and injuries. The exact number of persons hurt and the extent of their injuries had not been confirmed up to press time.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com