Dream Entertainment Ltd., organizers of Dream Wknd, celebrated another successful staging of the annual festival held in Negril.
Held on August 2-6, 2024, Dream Wknd pulled a massive crowd, consisting of both local and international guests, ready to indulge in the dreamiest weekend.
The star-studded weekend started off strong with the ‘Lingerie and Pajamas’ themed Twisted Spiritz, which was hosted by Jada Kingdom. On day 2, a sea of white flocked Long Bay beach for one of the most anticipated events of the weekend, Daydreams. The all-white affair was surprised with a guest performance by rising star Armanii, who put on an incredible performance, with the crowd singing along bar for bar. Later that night, Mr. Vegas wowed the crowd at YUSH with a highly energetic performance, complete with 4 backup dancers. Marking his first ever appearance at Dream Wknd, his set was a juggling masterpiece as he incorporated a mini-dj session at various intervals throughout his performance.
Wet ‘N Wild was first up on day 3, staying true to its name as rain pelted down, adding to the already energized atmosphere. Despite minor technical difficulties, 450 came on stage and delivered a swoon-worthy performance, resulting in high-pitched screams from his female fans. Creating a memorable moment, the artiste was seen throwing money into the crowd, much to the delight of the patrons who left thousands of dollars richer. Tommy Lee switched up the vibe during his performance in the night at World Vibes, taking on his ‘Sparta’ persona, as the lyrics from his lengthy catalogue rolled off his tongue in waves, pulling the attention of each and every one in attendance.
The celebrities rolled out on the penultimate day for the eagerly awaited Celebrity Playground. The red & white themed event began at approximately 10 pm with Wavz Beach serving as the venue. Aidonia, complete with an incredible fireworks show, lit up the stage with an electrifying performance. Songs like ‘Work it’, ‘Banga’ and ‘Jackhammer’ permeated the airwaves as he completed his 30-minute set. Following Aidonia’s exit off stage, American Rapper Bobby Shmurda took to the stage briefly, where he treated fans to a rendition of his song ‘Hot N*gga’. This was a major delight for the crowd, as they danced along doing the ‘Shmoney Dance’.
The 5th and final day ended with two events, Xodus Remedy and Igloo respectively. Xodus Remedy ran from 2-9pm, and included a performance from the soca princess, Nailah Blackman. Blackman’s performance was nothing short of incredible as she danced, jumped, did splits, all to the beat of the soca, never missing a beat. Patrons were decked out in their costumes, coming out prepared to fete the evening away at the carnival-esque show. Ending her appearance with her and Skinny Fabulous’ song “Come Home’, Nailah reiterated that Jamaica is her home away from home, saying that “I'm extremely grateful to perform at Dream Wknd because I hear it's the party of the summer here in Jamaica.”
Jerseys on deck and igloos rolled out, the concluding event for the 2024 staging of Dream Wknd commenced at 10pm. With the urge to not miss any imminent surprises, patrons quickly filled the venue, enjoying the final event of the festival. With the disc jocks building the vibe for the artiste’s appearance, partygoers rocked to the beats while sipping on beverages in their respective igloos. At 3am, Teejay drifted on stage with a confetti cannon. While his hit songs ‘Rags to Riches’, ‘Drift’, and ‘Owna Lane’ amongst others, reverberated throughout the venue, he decided to get closer to his fans and took his performance into the crowd. As his half hour performance came to an end, Teejay ended his show with gratitude as he handed over to the night’s host, Trippple X.
Festival Director for Dream Wknd, Ron Burke, was immensely happy with the execution of the event, expressing that “this year’s production was flawless from start to finish. The artistes delivered well, the DJs delivered the music exactly how I envisioned. One of the challenges about events like Dream, is that the music tends to become repititious but if you look at how Dream was structured this year, every event felt like a different event.”
Keeping the vibe going for the entire 5 days, were some of the top local and international Disc Jocks, including DJs Nicco, Crazy Neil, Kevin Crown, Boom Boom, Coppershot, Di Unit, Kurt Riley, Flagz Sound, Tyrone, Karim Hype, English Fire & Nate, tony Matterhorn, Code Red, YM Ent, Mix Master David, Richiepooh-Silverhawk, Dutty Dex and Marko Dean. These incredibly talented DJs ensured that patrons were kept thoroughly entertained, before and after the artistes showcase.
“In talking with some of the patrons, the festival did indeed live up to my expectations and now we have to go to the drawing board to figure out how we’re going to top this year, as we move forward to celebrate our sweet 16. 100s of tickets have already been sold for next year’s staging and so we look forward to the next 15 years”, continued Burke.
With food and drinks available at every event, patrons indulged in the delectable meals, paired with alcoholic beverages of their choice. Sherrill Bethune, visiting from New York, shared that “this is my first Dream Wknd and I will definitely be back. The food, the music, the vibe, is unmatched and I love everything about it”.
Limited tickets for Dream Wknd’s Sweet 16 are now on sale for US $349. Dreamers can take advantage of the payment plan offered, by placing a deposit of US $100.