Several recurring issues emerged across many concerts held during the 2025 December
Every year in the final stretch of 2025, as tradition demands, Detty December dominates the social calendar.
It is a season that allows people shake off a year’s stress and fully immerse themselves in back-to-back festivities.
In essence, travelers are drawn into every form of entertainment imaginable, from concerts, street parties and festivals to crusades, with Accra firmly positioned at the centre of it all.
While the experience has been thrilling, it usually comes with its own baggage.
Imagine hopping from one event to another, headlined by top-tier artistes, only to be confronted with avoidable health and safety concerns.
Across many concerts held during the 2025 Detty December wave, several recurring issues emerged, among which were:
1. Smoking at concerts
A major concern for patrons at concerts were individuals smoking in the crowd. Many argued that people can smoke if they choose to, but not in the middle of tightly packed audiences who are there to enjoy live performances.
People with respiratory conditions or allergies are especially affected, while others may simply feel uncomfortable. Some attendees even reported such behaviour to security personnel.
Event security must rethink their approach. Designated smoking zones should be strictly enforced to limit exposure and reduce health risks for the majority.
2. Fireworks at concerts
Fireworks, or “knockouts” as they are popularly called in Ghana, also raised eyebrows. It has become worrying that attendees now bring these explosives into concert venues. The practice is not just questionable, it’s dangerous.
At one event held at the Legon Sports Stadium during 2025 Detty December, an attendee lit a firework and left it in the crowd, a move that could have easily caused serious harm.
If organizers are the ones deploying fireworks as part of the show’s theatrics, that’s acceptable because they can coordinate safely. But patrons randomly lighting knockouts in the crowd has been labeled as a hazard.
3. Vendors
Vendor pricing was another pain point. For context, a 750ml bottle of water that costs less than GH¢5.00 on a regular day suddenly jumps to no less than GH¢30.00 on festival grounds. An outrageous mark-up for such a basic item.
Many have called on event organizers to pay attention to vendor operations.
It cannot just be about allocating vendor slots. A team should be tasked with monitoring pricing to ensure revellers are not being exploited.
4. Media considerations
Event curators also need to rethink how they accommodate media personnel. Often, media are given tags but no space to actually work.
In cases where a media area exists, general attendees eventually invade the space once the show heats up, forcing media to scramble for vantage points. Yet, organizers need the media ecosystem for amplification and visibility.
One event that got it right was Arathejay’s Nimo Live at Alliance Française, where a full media room was provided, a rare sight in Ghana’s concert scene.
5. Event start times
Every December comes with an old, tiring trend: major concerts starting ridiculously late. December 2025 was no different.
Accra’s festive concert calendar was stacked with big shows and star line-ups, yet many of these productions began hours after the advertised time.
Most shows and concerts delivered good performances and drew huge numbers, but almost none started as scheduled.
Events slated for “late evening” ended up kicking off in the early hours of the next day, a trend fans are increasingly calling out.
AK/EB
