Ghetto Splash to be ‘bigger and better’ for 2026
Published:Tuesday | December 16, 2025 | 12:07 AM
Ghetto Splash, the annual free show held at the Waterhouse Mini Stadium in Drewsland, would have been held today – the third Tuesday in December – however, the concert has joined the list of events such as Sting and Mavado’s return show – that have been cancelled for this year.
But co-founder, Patrick Roberts is vowing to return “bigger and better for 2026”.
“Ghetto Splash is off ... sadly ... I must say at this time it is off for 2025. I have not secured any funding to pay for the production services that are essential to its staging. So, what I have do is, come January, I am going to start the plan for December 2026 and come back bigger, better and stronger,” Roberts told The Gleaner.
He reflected that during the pandemic, Ghetto Splash was suspended for two years - 2020 and 2021
“We started back in 2022 and Ghetto Splash that year was off the hook. We had Shaggy, Sean Paul ... it was one of the biggest years. So hopefully 2026 will follow the same pattern. I am going all out. My whole objective is two in one .... a double impact, 2025 and 2026 in one,” Roberts said trying his best to be upbeat.
The Shocking Vibes label owner eventually admitted that he is “feeling very disappointed” about the way things turned out, but emphasised that he “has to understand the logics behind it”.
“The fact that you will be having an event while a lot of people don’t even have a roof over their head can come across as tone deaf ... I really get that. But, on the other hand, we must not forget that in every aspect of life music and sports are what can bring any nation together. As Bob Marley says, when the music hits you feel no pain. So, that’s one of the reasons why we were thinking that we would get the full support because the music would take away a lot of the stress that people are undergoing,” Roberts said.
He added, “Most people who would venture into the country to spend time with their families, unfortunately, there’s only the space there and no structure. A lot of those families will be here in Kingston so the event itself would bring some relief to them. It’s sad because we shouldn’t make Melissa have full control and take away our full joy. But such is it ... we just have to do what we have to do.”
Ghetto Splash started in Craig Town, St Andrew, in 1989. It was founded Roberts to bring top entertainers to inner-city communities. The free concert expanded beyond the confines of Roberts’s community and by 1996, it moved to National Heroes Park, before settling down at its current venue, following a hiatus.