Tony Rebel dismisses concerns over traffic impact on Rebel Salute

Leader of the Rebel Salute team, Tony Rebel, assures patrons that the hallmark smooth traffic flow and well-organised parking will once again define the event's 31st staging. The highly anticipated festival is set for January 18 at Plantation Cove, St Ann.

“We know what we are doing. We have been doing it since 2013 [at this venue].  We have a contingency of people who work in our car park,” Rebel, born Patrick George Anthony Barrett, said noting he has always hired a private security team to help with traffic management.

Logistics is key to the planning, he said. “We have a team that mans the car park to make sure they park the patrons properly and take 10 cars off the road in a minute because when one car is stuck, it leaves miles of traffic on the road,” he said.

“If you don’t park the vehicles from the back of the area, you are going to have a whole heap of space left down there when people come and park bad. We [also] have people who watch the car park so cars don’t get stolen, we know what we are doing,” he emphasised.

Patrons from the direction of Montego Bay and Kingston should also expect properly labeled entrances with lanes kept clear for those who are not attending the show, Rebel said.

Rebel’s reassurances follow last Saturday’s Intimate concert, where attendees endured traffic delays of up to five hours to enter Plantation Cove and faced similar long waits to exit.

When asked if the traffic chaos at Intimate could affect Rebel Salute ticket sales, Rebel dismissed the concern, emphasizing that regular patrons know smooth traffic flow and order are staples of the Rebel Salute experience.

“The first time Intimate was kept there was chaos with the transportation and we corrected that [with our event] shortly after,” he said.

“We are not doing anything different from what we have done since 2013. We correspond with the police, we have our recce and we understand what to do,” he said.

The show will be staged for only one night in Jamaica this year with another show slated for Florida on April 20.

“I want to tell everybody, don’t have any fear about coming to Revel Salute next week. We are going to have the traffic under control as we always do. Our track record shows that,” he said commending his team for the event’s history of planning and coordination.

In the meantime, Rebel Salute said it will continue to promote live music as it is a very important element of the festival’s culture. It will also feature the Food Village, Arts Village and Herb Curb.

“One thing remains consistent is Rebel Salute creating a wholesome festival for all to enjoy reflecting its uncompromising belief in no meat, no alcohol and no weapons.”

Rebel Salute announced Maxi Priest, Tony Rebel , Luciano, Queen Ifrica, Raheem Bowes (widely known as Valiant) and Richie Spice as headliners.