KSAC Expects Huge Crowd for Downtown Shopping Extravaganza

The Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) is anticipating a large turnout for the staging of Jamaica’s biggest annual one day shopping extravaganza, Christmas in the City, on Wednesday, December 18, downtown Kingston.

The event, which is being staged by the KSAC in association with its partners, is scheduled to take place on King Street, near South Parade, from 8:00 am to midnight. It will mark the first day of the downtown 2013-14 shopping season, which continues through to January 4.

Manager of Commercial Services at KSAC, Gary Robotham, said that this year’s event promises to be an exciting one.

“Each year the event gets bigger and better, and this year, we are expecting nothing less. One of the main reasons is that you get the best prices downtown during this time of year. Shoppers will benefit from great deals and discounts on a variety of household and personal items,” he said.

He informed that vehicular traffic will not be allowed at South Parade and King Street, which will be transformed into a busy commercial shopping paradise for merchants and shoppers. Bus stops in those areas will be relocated to North Parade to ease traffic congestion.

Mr. Robotham said that there will be an increase in police personnel, who will be on the lookout for illegal activities during the shopping period. He said that the KSAC is aware that there are some unscrupulous persons, who are charging motorists to park in certain areas.

“The police will be leaving no stone unturned, as they have identified the troubled spots, and will be at such locations to prevent any form of disturbance that might occur. They have worked out their strategy, and will be increasing their presence, as they have always done in the past, to make the shopping experience safe and incident-free for all,” Mr. Robotham stressed.

The KSAC Commercial Services Manager said that vendors, who wish to participate in the event, are required to register at the St. William Grant Park between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. up to Wednesday.

“Registration is currently ongoing in the park and will continue throughout tomorrow, prior to the event. If there are available tent spaces on Wednesday, then we will continue registering vendors, until all the spaces are occupied. All the conditions for selling will be clearly outlined to potential vendors wanting to secure a vending spot, tent or space,” Mr. Robotham explained.

He said that while the rigid parking rules will be somewhat relaxed, shoppers are being asked not to park close to fire hydrants, and avoid parking in no parking zones, such as spots earmarked for the disabled.

“There will be designated parking areas, and persons will be guided by the police as it relates to proper parking within those areas. There will however be some leniencies… (but) where there are extreme (offences), the police will have no option but to tow away vehicles affecting normal operations,” he said.

Mr. Robotham said that over the years there has been great support for the event from both merchants and patrons from all walks of life, noting that the event has always been enjoyable and incident-free.

He is encouraging the public to come out and support the event, and experience a “shop til yuh drop” lifetime experience, while being entertained by a number of popular reggae artistes.

Wisynco’s Boom Energy Drink is the title sponsor of this year’s event. Other supporting groups are the Gleaner Company Limited, Urban Development Corporation (UDC), Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) and LIME.

For further details, persons can contact the KSAC at 967-4196 or 279 0708.