The newest event under the Dream WKND umbrella, Island Beats, made its debut on Jul 31, 2023 at the 14th staging of the festival.
The Romeich Entertainment powered event, held at Wavz Beach, saw patrons, flags in hand, repping the different Caribbean islands.
The star studded affair was complemented with music by DJs Brush 1 and Franco, Jus Jay out of London, Kryptic and Fyahman, Bishop Escobar and Shukkle Bus. Staying true to the name, the disc jocks wooed patrons with a variety of soca & dancehall music, while tapping into the Pop genre that had the jam packed Wavz Beach singing along word for word.
“Going into this event we already knew that it would’ve been a success. Partnering with Romeich the first time he’s doing something on Dream WKND, we knew it was going to be good. A lineup like Ding Dong and Stefflon Don only made it memorable. The energy was right, people came out and were entertained from early, so for us this was a sure shot and it went just as expected” expressed Dream WKND’s Festival Director, PJ Wright.
The star of the show, Ding Dong, took to the stage at approximately 3 AM, delivering an epic performance. The artiste, accompanied by his Ravers Clavers crew, opened his set with his ‘Badman Fawud, Badman Pullup’ hit. He then proceeded to delve into his expansive catalogue, reeling off hits such as ‘Bomb’, ‘Good Ting Dem’, ‘Flairy’, ‘Nuh Linga’ and ‘Happiness’. In an effort to further interact with the patrons, he invited a few of his fans on stage to showcase their dancing skills.
The artiste, who doubles as a dancer, was just as thrilled to perform at yet another Dream WKND.
“Dream WKND cannot be Dream WKND without Ding Dong. I am a performer, and I get driven by performances, so in preparation for tonight, I sat and observed every performance since Friday night and realized the Ding effect is missing. So yuh know we haffi bring the energy and the vibe. The dancer dem come out and do dem ting, the vibe was right, and so we come put on a show for the fans” he stated.
Prior to Ding Dong’s performance, patrons were treated to surprise performances from Stefflon Don and Roze Don, who both raised the energy inside the venue. Stefflon Don shared intimate moments with her female fans, as she opened up with her hit ‘Senseless’ then transitioned to her song ‘Moments Like These’, with fellow Dancehall artiste Masicka. This was her first time performing at Dream WKND and she ensured that she brought her all on stage, leaving Dreamers fully satisfied.
“I literally didn’t know what to expect. I thought it was going to be a way smaller crowd, so to see that so many people came out meant so much to me. Big up all my fans in Jamaica, I love you all, and you can look forward to new music very soon.” shared the ‘16 Shots’ artiste.
In addition to the performances, Island Beats also had fire dancers on hand, who had patrons awestruck with their handling of the element, while performing. The night’s festivities ended with bottles of champagne handed out to patrons before heading home. Dream WKND 2023 continues on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, with Igloo, where Valiant will close out this year’s staging.