Dream Entertainment Limited, organizers of Dream Wknd, celebrated another successful staging of the annual festival 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 fun. 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 featured guest performances from rising star Armanii, who put on an incredible performance. Later that night, Mr Vegas wowed the crowd at YUSH with a highly energetic performance, complete with backup dancers.
Marking his first-ever appearance at Dream Wknd, his set was a juggling masterpiece as he incorporated mini-DJ sessions at various intervals throughout his performance. Wet ‘N Wild was first up on Day 3, stayed true to its name — rain pelted down adding to the already energised 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. 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. The celebrities rolled out on the penultimate day for Celebrity Playground.
The red and white-themed event began at approximately 10:00 pm with Wavz Beach serving as the venue. Aidonia, complete with an incredible fireworks show, lit up the stage. 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, treating fans to a rendition of his song Hot N***a as they broke into the Shmoney Dance . The 5th and final day ended with two events, Xodus Remedy and Igloo respectively. Xodus Remedy ran from 2:00pm to 9:00pm, and included a performance from soca princess Nailah Blackman.
She was nothing short of incredible as she danced, jumped, did splits, all to the beat of the soca. Patrons came 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’s song Come Home , Nailah reiterated that Jamaica is her home away from home.
Jerseys on deck and igloos rolled out, the concluding event for the 2024 staging of Dream Wknd commenced at 10:00pm. Patrons quickly filled the venue, with the disc jocks building the vibe as partygoers rocked to the beats while sipping on beverages from their respective igloos. At 3:00am, 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. 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 “The artistes delivered well, the DJs delivered the music exactly how I envisioned.
One of the challenges about [multi-day] events like Dream is that the music tends to become repetitious, but if you look at how Dream was structured this year, every event felt like a different event.” Keeping the vibe going for the 5 days were some of the top local and international disc jocks, among them DJ 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,” shared Burke..
