With Joe Bogdanovich and the Reggae Sumfest team announcing the show’s relocation from Montego Bay in St James to St Ann due to the Catherine Hall venue being ravaged by Hurricane Melissa, concerns have arisen that other major events may follow suit.
However, organisers of Dream Weekend, who recently made the switch to Montego Bay, say they are not planning to abandon the Second City any time soon. Scott Dunn, group managing director of Dream Entertainment Limited, told THE STAR that all systems are still go for Montego Bay. Hurricane Melissa, he emphasised, has not affected the production planning.
“Our potential venues are all in great shape, and we are ready to execute. Yes, we’ve had minor setbacks, for example, some hotels won’t be reopened in time, but there are still more rooms right now in Montego Bay than anywhere else on the island. MoBay also has a diversity of accommodations (hotel rooms, high-end villas, Airbnb homes, guest houses) that are second to none, thus giving Dreamers options to suit their needs and budgets,” he said.
With more than 40,000 attendees last year, the festival is one of the largest in the Caribbean and therefore any news of its progress and preparations in light of Melissa’s devastation to St James is needed – not only for patrons but also the dozens of vendors and suppliers who will be directly or indirectly impacted by its execution. Dunn is assuring everyone that preparations are well under way, and so far, everything is going as planned.
“Preparation is going great. We have huge artistes booked with Alkaline, along with MoBay’s son and daughter, Tommy Lee and Shaneil Muir. We’re finalising venues and our first two ticket tiers are already sold out,” said Dunn.
While the venues have not yet been finalised, Dream Weekend is likely, Dunn stated, to use iconic venues such as the Montego Bay Convention Centre, The Aqueduct and Pier 1.
“Additionally, we have been embraced by the MPs, the mayor, the Chamber of Commerce, JHTA (Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force who all recognise the tremendous economic impact (estimated at $5 billion) that a festival like Dream Weekend brings to Montego Bay and St James, by extension,” he said. “?We are committed to using as many local suppliers as possible and ensuring that the economic impact is felt everywhere in the community. We are partnering with local promoters and spending a lot of time in the city. Just this Sunday, the Dream Team attended Crazy Neil’s party ‘White Rum’ and met with Pier 1, Lounge 27/27, and Taboo about potential partnerships.”
In speaking about Reggae Sumfest’s relocation, Dunn said that, to his understanding, the show’s move is partially triggered by the devastation to its ‘home’, Catherine Hall.
“The venues we intend to use are already ready for this summer. Sumfest will be missed, so we can only hope to fill that void in the city,” he said.
Both loyal party patrons as well as first timers will have nothing to fear, he added, as the Dream Team intends to not only make Montego Bay great again, but take it to a whole other level.
“This will be the biggest Dream Weekend in our 17-year history! Montego Bay is a big city with a substantial population with the buying power to sustain a festival of this magnitude. We will have big artistes, international DJs, guests from every corner of the globe, and the city of Montego Bay is ready to roll out the red carpet,” said Dunn.
