UDC Hosting New Year’s Eve ‘Fireworks on the Waterfront’ Festival

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) will be hosting its annual New Year’s Eve ‘Fireworks on the Waterfront’ festival across thee parishes on December 31.

The event, which starts at midday, is being held under the theme ‘Life, Love and Harmony’.

This year, the Kingston Waterfront, Ocho Rios Bay Beach in St. Ann and the latest addition, Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay, St. James, will erupt in sparkling splendour as the island bids 2023 farewell and rings in 2024 at what is dubbed “the largest family-oriented event that takes place anywhere in Jamaica”.

UDC General Counsel and Chairman, Ewan Simpson, told JIS News that the theme reflects the Corporation’s desire for transformation through the marriage of the island’s waterfront spaces with entertainment, and the celebration of a New Year.

Additionally, he said the festival represents the UDC’s insistence on helping to raise the overall quality of life for Jamaicans.

“We are trying to improve the quality of life. We want people across Jamaica to live a better life. People know the UDC as an urban planner and developer, but our driving force for this urban planning and this development is the transformation of the lives and the lived experience of the Jamaican people. The transformation of the landscape for a better quality of existence… our cultural products reflect this,” he said.

Mr. Simpson also emphasised the focus on love, “because our head office, our origins are in the City of Wonder, the City of Kingston, and we want people to just spread the Jamaican energy of one love”.

“Harmony, of course, is our latest pride in Montego Bay, and the Harmony Beach Park is the nicest beach park anywhere this side of the world; and we want people to appreciate that, together, we can enjoy what there is to offer,” the Chairman added.

The fireworks festival, for which general admission is free, will feature several activities and competitions for the entire family as well as live entertainment.

“What you can expect is clean, full-bodied family entertainment. There’ll be a kiddie’s village, so the kids can come get their faces painted. They can jump on rides; they can go to a game arcade [and] they can do rock climbing. They can do all these wonderful things [and], of course, they will have food,” Mr. Simpson detailed.

He further informed: “We will have great performances from community bands and groups. We will also have emerging superstars like Ras-I and Kumar and Savannah, who will be on the Kingston Waterfront. We will have Nadine Sutherland presenting on stage and Third World rounding out the evening.

“We have great community groups in Ocho Rios performing live and we will have [artistes] like Jermaine Edwards doing gospel and Tony Rebel doing a full set after midnight; and in Montego Bay, we will also be having full sets from Lubert Levy, Suga, George Nooks, and others,” Mr. Simpson told JIS News.

The activities will also include informative displays in collaboration with other government entities, such as the HEART/NSTA Trust and the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

All events will climax with the highly anticipated sparkling synchronised fireworks shows in Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay at midnight.

Patrons are encouraged to pre-register at www.udcja.com to access their free electronic tickets and receive updates on security arrangements as well as the park-and-ride shuttle service to be offered by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC).

VIP tickets are also available at a cost and will include food and drinks and can be purchased at the UDC Head Office on Ocean Boulevard in downtown Kingston.