Samini’s London show cancelled after boat becomes overcrowded - Ghanaians react

• Samini’s scheduled performance at the White Night on the Thames boat party in London was cancelled after the vessel became overcrowded.

• Police clarified that organisers cancelled the event, after some people allegedly boarded without tickets, pushing the boat beyond its permitted capacity.

• Frustrated attendees demanded refunds, with the incident raising fresh concerns about crowd control and event planning at Ghanaian events in the UK.

Ghanaian reggae-dancehall star Samini was unable to perform at a scheduled summer boat party in London on Saturday, August 8, after organisers called off the event over overcrowding concerns.

Samini had been billed as the headline guest for the ‘White Night on the Thames’ Summer Boat Party, a luxury cruise event scheduled to take place at Blackfriars Pier from 5pm to 11pm.

The event was advertised as an evening of Afrobeats, Amapiano and Afroswing, with Samini expected to provide the night’s special performance.

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However, what was supposed to be an entertainment-filled cruise ended in disappointment after the boat was reportedly filled beyond its permitted capacity.

According to a police officer who spoke at the scene, the police did not cancel the event. Instead, the organisers decided to call it off after people allegedly gained access to the boat without tickets.

"We didn't cancel the show, the organisers cancelled it. What happened was the boat was supposed to take a number of people. They've sold a certain amount of tickets. But some people had pushed past security and got on the boat without any tickets and the boat was overweight. So it can't take any more people," the officer explained to blogger Real Deeper.

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The overcrowding situation reportedly resulted in delays for ticket holders who had been waiting at the pier for several hours.

One patron described the frustration of waiting from the afternoon before eventually being told to leave the boat.

"We were at the pier from 3:30pm, they told us we would be going on the boat at 5pm, they pushed it to 5:30, then 7pm. It was until 8pm that they finally allowed us on the boat. And when we got on, we were asked to get off, we will get our money back by all means," the patron said.

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Another attendee expressed anger over the organisation of the event and said they would seek a refund.

"Ghanaian event organizers are very poor at organizing events. We will never attend any event they organize again. We will demand a refund, and if they fail to give us our money, we will curse them," the disgruntled patron said.

The cancellation adds to a difficult period for Ghanaian entertainment events in the UK, coming just a week after Shatta Wale’s ShattaFestUK was cancelled following a stampede at the entrance, reportedly linked to crowd-control challenges.