Stonebwoy’s BHIM Fest UK at London’s OVO Arena Wembley has drawn attention beyond the performances, with questions raised online about why sections of the upper level were covered with curtains during the August 15 concert.
Vida Adutwumwaa Boateng, Head of Public Relations at Burniton Music Group, has now explained the decision, saying the curtains were part of the event’s approved layout and were not evidence that organisers had failed to attract enough patrons.
What happened at OVO Arena Wembley
Stonebwoy headlined BHIM Fest UK at the OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, August 15, 2026.
The concert was a major milestone for the Ghanaian dancehall artiste and the BHIM Fest brand. It was the festival’s first international edition and marked the first time a Ghanaian artiste had headlined the London venue.
The OVO Arena Wembley itself has an official capacity of 12,500, according to the venue.
After the concert, however, images showing curtains covering parts of the upper level generated debate on social media. Some commentators interpreted the covered sections as an indication that parts of the venue had not been filled.
Vida offered a different explanation during a phone-in appearance on United Showbiz.
She said the organisers had designed the concert layout around Stonebwoy’s stage production and the space required for his performance while also taking patron safety into account.
Why were the curtains used?
According to Vida, the organisers did not simply decide to close off the upper level because of poor attendance.
She explained that Burniton Music Group had reached an agreement with the venue management on the number of people who could be accommodated under the specific event arrangement.
Because of that arrangement, the upper sections were not opened to additional patrons. Curtains were then used to cover those areas as part of the overall setup.
Vida also maintained that the event was sold out based on the approved configuration rather than the venue’s full physical capacity.
The OVO Arena Wembley may hold up to 12,500 people, but an individual event does not necessarily have to use every section of the venue. Seating arrangements, stage construction, production requirements, safety considerations and event-specific capacity limits can affect how much of an arena is made available to the public.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of what was otherwise a significant night for Ghanaian music.
Stonebwoy’s August 15 performance represented the international expansion of BHIM Fest, a festival that has traditionally been associated with Ghana. Music Africa reported ahead of the event that the London show would be the first time a Ghanaian artiste headlined the OVO Arena Wembley.
The concert also featured a number of Ghanaian and African artistes, including Samini, Kwabena Kwabena, DopeNation, Patoranking, Tiwa Savage and Mr P.
Stonebwoy subsequently described the event as a historic achievement, while coverage from Ghanaian media highlighted the significance of taking a Ghanaian-led music festival to a major international venue.
It is confirmed that the OVO Arena Wembley has a maximum capacity of 12,500 and that Stonebwoy headlined BHIM Fest there on August 15.
Vida’s explanation that the covered sections resulted from the approved event configuration, stage requirements, safety considerations and an agreement with venue management is her account of the organisers’ decision. Her claim that the concert was “sold out” according to that configuration has not been independently established in the available sources.
Therefore, the presence of curtains alone does not establish whether the concert was under-attended or fully sold out.
The organisers’ position is that the venue was deliberately configured for the production and the agreed patron capacity, rather than having the entire arena opened simply because the building can accommodate 12,500 people.
