LINDEN will be hosting its 20th Town Week celebration in the next four days and Chairman of franchise holder Vybz Entertainment, Devin Sears, said all is set for an exciting 10 days of activities. Celebrating under the theme “Reflection, resilience, rediscover Linden and celebrate who we are,” the events will kick off with its official opening ceremony this Sunday at the Georgetown bus park and will see performances from several Guyanese artiste and cultural activities.
This year’s celebrations will see the merging of the 50th anniversary activities and Lindeners will benefit from “first time events” such as a boat cruise from Georgetown to Linden and back.
Other first time events added to the calendar include a reggae gospel concert with performances from Jamaican artists, the Super Nova school singing competition and the focus on showcasing heritage sites to visitors, especially those residing in the diaspora. “They’ll get to see the blue lake and get to visit the Waterwheel and Cenotaph, the old aluminum plant, the mined out areas,” said Mr. Sears.
These new events will, of course, complement the signature events such as the Big and Bold pageant, Wismar Night and the All Black Party, which is expected to see up to 16,000 persons in attendance.
Vybz Entertainment Chairman reiterated that while this year’s Linden Town Week franchise was bought for $1.5 M, he said his organization’s main aim is not to make a profit, but to have the “small man” benefit. “The main focus is not on making a profit as it is, but ensuring that we have a successful Linden Town Week.

It is an important year for us; my only concern is that every vendor that comes out to sell makes something tangible. We want to bring about economic stability to Linden, which would encourage visitors to come to Linden,” Sears told this publication.
Visitors, Sears said, can be assured that strict security measures have been enacted to ensure all events take place in decency and free from crime. He alluded to the previous years, where no serious crime was recorded during the celebrations. “Security has been boosted; we have the Police involved, the Rural Constables, Village Policing Groups, the Town Council Constables involved as well and we have our private security firm to ensure that everyone is safe during that period.” He also added that there will be heighten patrols from the joint services and various road blocks.
Vybz Entertainment will also be giving back to the community by building a boat and constructing a bus shed. They have also worked out an arrangement with the Town Council to have cleanup activities after every event so that the town can be returned to normalcy. “We are encouraging the entire Guyana to come out and be a part of Linden Town Week, it is going to be amazing; what Linden has to offer nowhere else has to offer,” he urged all Guyanese home and in the diaspora.
Linden had its first town week celebration in 1999 and it was previously called Linden Town Day. It was founded by Norvelle Frederick and lasted for three days. Over the years, the events got bigger and more recognized and the then franchise holder extended it to one week. Linden is the first town to have an event of this nature.