The much anticipated hit monthly hood-to-hood street stage show which later metamorphosis into a mega festival dubbed 'Open Mic Festival' is set to celebrate its fifth years' existence today December 28th 2012 at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

Initiated and brought by Black Lynx , the event is claimed to be the Gambia's biggest music night celebration as the event has transcend to another level set to tap and bring to the fore, The Gambia's unseen finest talents. With over 13 artists confirmed to grace this year's event organizers, the forces behind this event, are of the view that 2012 celebration will be one of its kind in the history of the country.

The underlying tones of the festival mainly seek to draw attention to our sense of feeling proudly urban Gambian and simply expressing our Gambian pride through music by staging a world-class event for all. Its' widely anticipated by all and is growing bigger and bigger each year. The music renaissance has swept across the nation like a tidal wave and its ripping effect have crept into the heart and minds of tens of thousands of young people.

The annual Open Mic Festival and the monthly Open Mics continue to provide the biggest live audience platform for recording and performing artistes in the Gambia. It has impacted urban Gambian music predominantly over the past five years and has as an event, serve as the blueprint for most local concerts. It is also responsible for giving urban Gambian its greatest gift, hope, hope of that careers can be built and livelihoods earned by pursuing one's passion for the art of music.

Now that the concerts by local acts are regularly filled to capacity with artists, producers churning out more 'bagging' records and radio giving it more local music oriented shows that ever, the TV too, there's certainly more out there in the horizon, if not only to believe and continue support each other in the spirit of Nyaato, a Mandinka parlance meaning forward. This years' edition of the event scheduled for December 28th at the Independence Stadium shall be the fifth since inception of the monthly series in November 2007.This has enhanced the spirit of competition and has encourage artists to work even harder in order to be more visible.