Festival making a big splash

If you’re a fan of Caribbean music and culture, there’s one event not to be missed this summer.

By Joel Campbell

THERE’S A quintessentially Caribbean feel that underpins City Splash Festival. It’s one of the biggest reasons many have already bought their tickets and have earmarked the event as their ‘must attend for 2023’.

Last month, organisers announced the line-up for the one-day Reggae, Dancehall and Afrobeats celebration, which takes place at Brockwell Park in south London on May 29.

The third annual event will feature the likes of Max Romeo on his last ever UK Tour, plus the fast-rising one to watch that is ncle Waffles, onae o, utan Fyah, Jah Youth, Juls and Twinkle Brothers.

The stellar names come on top of the likes of Chronixx, Koffee, Shenseea, Skillibeng, Gyakie, Stylo G, Jah9 and Ayra Starr who along with many more acts will play across seven stages.

With the two previous City Splash Festivals striking the right chords with attendees and this year’s line-up signalling a clear intent on raising the bar, Lifestyle wanted to know more about the driving force behind the scenes. Who is the brainchild?

A trip down to his office in east on don and co-founder, Ben Ryan, inset above, explained how he’d turned a long-held ambition to rekindle a key element of his own youth, which he believes has been lost, through the event we all now know as City Splash.

Speaking about the inaugural event in 2021, he said: “We just didn’t know what it was going to be. So you have a kind of mindset of what you think it might be, what you hope it will be, but one of the things with the first one is that you don’t know who is going to engage with it. You don’t know who is going to turn up.”

He added: “The key part of doing City Splash was to present something that the Caribbean community would want to feel that it belongs to them and would attend.

“That was such an important part of creating this.”

“I think that over the years we have lost a lot of the authentic, cultural community events and institutions that support Caribbean culture.

“City Splash was really born to contribute towards supporting that and maybe, like, fighting back a bit to say we’re still here and we still want this stuff.

“We still influence everything but the all dayers that we all grew up on have disappeared, the community centres have gone, the book shops are going, the record shops are gone. The big concerts aren’t happening like they used to but yet the influence is huge.

“Every community that exists is influenced by this music culture and everything underneath that but yet we are a bit starved for these sorts of events.

“Notting Hill Carnival is the biggest event in Europe, it’s the best weekend in London, recognised by everybody, but it’s once a year, that’s all we get. And so, City Splash was like, yeah, let’s add to that.”

Born and raised in Dalston, Ryan worked at EMI Records before becoming a live events producer.

It’s one thing to have a vision, the single father of two explained what it took

“I’ve worked in the music business since I left college and I’ve created, I guess, a network of people that have all grown up in the business and some are now at a certain position where we are able to collaborate and draw on different expertise or resources or that allow us to access resources because we have built up a reputation and experience.

“I guess people bought into the vision and people bought into my experience, passion and integrity that this could work and my track record for being a live event promoter.”

Ryan has worked across multiple music genres over the past two decades. He has produced big tours for household names and garners a perspective few are exposed to.

In , he decided to refine his focus, specifically concentrating on reggae and Caribbean influenced music iving insight into why he would forgo other more potentially lucrative avenues, Ryan enthused: “I left the genres that were making money I guess because I was raised on this music, so it has a place in my heart, it’s a nostalgic place in my heart, it’s where I feel warmest, happiest.

“I also think that socially its the music that carries the most important message for us as a people, especially us living here in the West. If music can change societal things then it’s the genre that has the best chance of doing that in a positive way, than any of the other genres that I might have worked in, in the past.”

He added: “So it’s like, can I contribute something positive towards society? And then being a parent of two sons, I guess there was a responsibility towards that, leading by example.”

Delivering a tier one festival depends in large part on securing strategic partnerships with stakeholders who have the capacity to execute.

Thinking beyond immediate responsibilities, Ryan says training the next generation of festival delivery teams that emanate from Black community, in order to create a conveyor belt of talent that will bring about continuity and see events like these not just last but spawn new ones, is key.

“In the industry there is a real shortage of People of Colour, African Caribbean people, Black people, who work in the production side of the events and festivals.

“So, part of the conditions of how we built City Splash, it’s been agreed that I bring in, create opportunities for People of Colour, African Caribbean peo- ple, Black people to work as stage managers, artist liaisons, accreditations, etc.

“I’ve brought in 15 British Black Jamaican women to be artist liaisons. On the main stage

When people arrive – whether you are arriving as an artist backstage or a member of the general public – you should feel like this is something for us, by us.” there is a Black woman who is an assistant stage manager, stage two the same thing.

As well as the irresistible and authentic musical line-up at City Splash, you can look forward to diving into offerings from several Black-owned food and drinks outlets such as Blk Eats LDN as well as exploring some great creative markets.

“Not only is that important because we recognise the lack of opportunities that we’ve had, it’s also ensuring that this has a feel of authenticity and that it is ours all of the way through it.

There will be plenty to get the brain going too with talks, panels and workshops by charity partners, site art to add extra colour and culture to the day and a comprehensive London Brewers Market featuring breweries from across the city, but focussing on the South.

“It’s a privilege and an honour to be able to put together this type of event,” Ryan said.

“It’s a dream come true, something that I have been wanting to do for a long time and loads of people that I have worked with have always spoken about doing something like this.

“And for it to have been realised and come to life in 2021, straight out of lockdown, is really exciting.

COLOUR AND CULTURE:

Many have earmarked the event as their ‘must attend for 2023’

“We’re going into our third edition and it’s looking good, I’m really happy with the line-up we’ve got this year, people seem to be engaging with it and things are really positive.”

City Splash Festival, May 29, 2023. Tickets: www.city-splash.com