Carib Scope

分类： entertainment

  • Lucky Republic Bank customer heads to Miami for FIFA World Cup qualifier

    Lucky Republic Bank customer heads to Miami for FIFA World Cup qualifier

    A Grenadian banking customer is gearing up for an unforgettable sports experience after taking home the grand prize in a major co-branded promotion between regional financial institution Republic Bank and global payment giant VISA. Karan Budhrani has been confirmed as the grand prize winner of the Republic Bank VISA/FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Promotion, which was open to eligible customers across all of Republic Bank’s operating territories.

    The once-in-a-lifetime grand prize includes all-expenses-paid travel for Budhrani and one guest to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, this month. The pair will attend Group Stage Match 37, a Group H fixture in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers that will see Uruguay face off against Cabo Verde. The high-profile match will give the winners front-row access to top-tier international football action as teams compete for a spot in the 2026 World Cup tournament.

    In an official statement announcing the results, Republic Bank expressed its pleasure at confirming Budhrani as the promotion’s winner, extending formal congratulations to him on his victory. The bank also added that it hopes both Budhrani and his guest have a safe, comfortable, and truly memorable experience during their trip to the United States for the qualifier match.

    The cross-territory promotion marked a collaboration between VISA, a long-standing official partner of FIFA, and Republic Bank to engage customers across the Caribbean region ahead of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

  • Young artists leave mark on Saint Lucia’s Halls of Justice project

    Young artists leave mark on Saint Lucia’s Halls of Justice project

    A groundbreaking youth arts initiative that bridges creative expression, civic values and national development has wrapped up in Saint Lucia, leaving an enduring mark on one of the country’s most significant public infrastructure projects. Twenty-one emerging local artists earned a lasting spot in the Saint Lucia Halls of Justice (HOJ) Youth Art Challenge, capping off the competition with a celebratory prize ceremony and public exhibition opening at Constitution Park last Thursday.

    Organized as a collaborative effort between NH International (Caribbean) Ltd., the Ministry of Education, and Republic Bank (EC) Limited, the competition opened submissions to secondary and tertiary students across the entire island. The core prompt invited young creators to explore a deeply personal and civic question: What does justice look like through your eyes?

    Over the course of the challenge, participating students responded with a stunning range of creative mediums, from traditional paintings and handcrafted fibre art to cutting-edge digital pieces, documentary photography, and three-dimensional sculpture. Their works collectively unpack themes central to justice: equal rights, equal access to opportunity, radical truth, community peace, institutional accountability, and collective well-being.

    Organizers designed the challenge with a clear intentionality beyond celebrating artistic talent: they sought to boost youth civic engagement, and push back against the narrow framing of justice as only a legal or bureaucratic concept. Instead, the initiative encouraged young people to recognize justice as a lived force that shapes every part of daily community life.

    In total, nine secondary and tertiary institutions across Saint Lucia submitted entries for consideration. After a rigorous judging process and a public voting campaign that drew nearly 2,000 responses from local residents, winners were selected across multiple categories.

    Top honors went to Makena Edward from Soufrière Comprehensive Secondary School for her work *Justice in Balance*. Second place was awarded to Aquili Arthur of Patricia D. James Secondary School for *Shelter and Justice for All*, while Kami St Rose of St Joseph’s Convent claimed third place for her piece *Justice and Equality for All*. A Special Recognition Award was granted to Rebecca Felix, Neila Martyr, and Trina Pelage from the Stanley Jon Odlum School of Arts, Media and Design for their unique three-dimensional installation *Community Harmony* — the only sculpture entered in the entire competition.

    Speaking at the closing ceremony, Michelle Clarke, Corporate Secretary and Head of Human Resources at NH International (Caribbean) Ltd., emphasized that the project was far more than a typical art competition. She explained that as the lead developer behind the new Halls of Justice, the company views its role as going beyond constructing physical infrastructure. Instead, it aims to uplift communities by passing on core values, creating meaningful opportunities for young people, and building a shared commitment to a progressive Caribbean where excellence has tangible, personal meaning for all residents.

    Wayne Girard, Saint Lucia’s Minister for Economic Development and the Youth Economy, also addressed the gathered participants and guests, encouraging students to see themselves as active contributors to the nation’s ongoing growth. “Development is about much more than roads, bridges and buildings,” he told attendees. “Development is also about citizens. It is about the kind of people we become.”

    Girard went on to highlight the critical role that creative art plays in forging a shared national identity, noting that the winning and selected works have already become a permanent part of the Halls of Justice story — long before the institution opens its official doors. Even before the first judge takes a seat or the first court case is heard, he argued, these young artists have already helped define what justice means to the Saint Lucian people that the new institution will serve.

    Jeremiah Norbert, Minister responsible for Home Affairs, Crime Prevention, Conflict Resolution, and Persons with Disabilities, also attended the ceremony to celebrate the participating youth.

    All 21 selected artworks were officially unveiled at the event, and will remain on permanent public display at the Halls of Justice construction site until building work is completed. For organizers, the ongoing exhibition makes a powerful statement: it ensures that young people are not just passive bystanders to major national development projects, but active co-creators of the values and goals that those projects stand for.

  • Leisure : Did you know ? #33

    Leisure : Did you know ? #33

    Every week, HaitiLibre’s popular general knowledge Quiz.HaitiLibre initiative releases two installments of its engaging trivia series “Did You Know?”, designed to spark curiosity and expand public knowledge across a wide range of topics. The 33rd edition of the series, published in June 2026, turns the spotlight to an often-overlooked trailblazer in automotive history: Bertha Benz, the wife of internal combustion engine automobile inventor Karl Benz.

    Long before modern highways and mass-produced cars entered the scene, Bertha Benz made an unprecedented choice that would change the trajectory of transportation forever. Without notifying her husband ahead of time, Benz set out in August 1888 alongside her two teenage sons on what would become the world’s first long-distance intercity road trip in a gasoline-powered automobile. The trio traveled 106 kilometers between the German cities of Mannheim and Pforzheim, using the third working prototype of Karl Benz’s Patent-Motorwagen, a clunky, untested vehicle that had only been demonstrated in short, controlled trials up to that point.

    The journey was far from a leisurely pleasure drive. It served as an unplanned real-world stress test of the prototype’s reliability, and Bertha Benz encountered multiple mechanical challenges along the way. When a fuel line became clogged, she used her hat pin to clear the blockage; when a loose electrical wire threatened to stop the trip, she insulated it using her garter, turning everyday accessories into improvised automotive tools. Her successful completion of the trip dispelled widespread public skepticism about the practicality of gasoline-powered vehicles. Up until that moment, many people saw the automobile as nothing more than a novelty toy, unsuitable for real travel. By proving that an internal combustion vehicle could complete a long-distance journey independently, Benz laid the groundwork for the global commercialization of the modern automobile, an invention that redefined global society.

    Beyond sharing this little-known piece of history, the article also serves as an update on the Quiz.HaitiLibre platform itself. As part of the platform’s monthly content expansion, 31 new trivia quizzes were added to the platform on June 1, 2026, bringing the total number of available games to 150, with new content added on a monthly basis. The free, no-registration platform caters to all audiences, offering three difficulty levels (beginner, intermediate, and expert) for every quiz, and is fully accessible in both French and English. While the “Did You Know?” series covers general knowledge topics from across the globe, the platform also features a wide selection of content focused on Haiti, alongside specialized expert-themed quizzes for more experienced trivia fans. Visitors can access the full range of content, share the platform with friends, and submit feedback directly through the Quiz.HaitiLibre website.

  • GBM Leads Region with Record 93 CBU Award Nominations

    GBM Leads Region with Record 93 CBU Award Nominations

    As the regional media landscape prepares for one of its most prestigious annual gatherings, a Belizean media powerhouse has made history by securing an unprecedented number of nominations for the 37th Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards, set to take place this August.

    Greater Belize Media (GBM), the parent organization of leading Belizean news outlet News Five, has outpaced every other participating broadcaster across the Caribbean region this awards cycle, racking up a record-breaking 93 nomination nods ahead of the August 19 ceremony. The landmark haul cements GBM’s position as the most-nominated media entity entering this year’s awards program.

    The company’s impressive showing spans nearly every major award category, demonstrating consistent quality across multiple content verticals. GBM has secured heavy representation in core television categories, ranging from daily news programming and long-form documentaries to in-depth investigative journalism, live sports coverage, and general entertainment content. Beyond these mainstream categories, the media organization achieved a clean sweep of all nominations in the awards’ dedicated child rights programming categories, highlighting its long-standing commitment to elevating critical social issues through its work.

    GBM’s cross-platform excellence is further reflected in nominations across digital media projects, radio programming, and the publicly voted People’s Choice awards, marking a strong all-around performance that touches every corner of modern media production.

    This year’s CBU Media Awards will be hosted in Georgetown, Guyana, where hundreds of regional media leaders, producers, journalists, and industry stakeholders will gather not only to celebrate outstanding journalism and broadcasting from across the Caribbean, but also to address one of the most pressing challenges facing the industry today: the growing influence of artificial intelligence on journalistic practice, content creation, and media ethics.

    As the countdown to the August announcement begins, all eyes will be on GBM to see if its record-breaking number of nominations will translate into an equally historic haul of awards at this year’s ceremony.

  • Greater Belize Media Tops Caribbean Region with 93 Nominations

    Greater Belize Media Tops Caribbean Region with 93 Nominations

    In a landmark achievement for regional media in the Caribbean, Greater Belize Media (GBM), parent company of News 5 Live, has secured a leading position ahead of the 37th Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards, capturing an unprecedented 93 nominations across every major award category – more than any other participating media organization across the region this year.

    GBM’s broad slate of nominations spans every core sector of modern media, starting with television, the awards program’s most hotly contested competitive track. The Belize-based media house earned nods across 15 television categories, including high-profile divisions such as Best News Story, Best Investigative Report, Best Documentary Programme, and Best Sports Story, alongside category recognition for Best Entertainment Programme, Best Magazine Programme, Best Comedy Item, Best Advertisement, and Best Public Service Announcement. GBM also picked up nominations for specialty journalistic awards, including Financial Literacy Journalism, Excellence in Media Coverage of Caribbean Arts and Culture, Excellence in Environmental Reporting on Mangrove/Seagrass, and Best Production on Land Degradation Neutrality.

    Notably, GBM dominated the Child Rights Champion award track, securing nominations in all three subcategories: Investigative Reporting on Child Rights, Elimination of Violence Against Children, and Children Who Inspire Story. Beyond television, the organization earned three nominations in digital media for Best News Story, Best Sports Story, and Best Investigative Item, plus a single nomination for Best Sound Engineer in the radio division.

    In the People’s Choice Awards, the only CBU category decided by direct public voting from Caribbean audiences, GBM picked up three additional nods for Best Music Reel, Best Educational Reel, and Best Comedy Reel. Rounding out its historic haul, the media house earned two more nominations in Special and Individual Awards: Best Social Media Content Creator and Best Videographer.

    All award winners will be revealed at the 37th CBU Media Awards Gala, scheduled for August 19, 2026. The gala will take place during CBU’s 57th Annual General Assembly, branded #CBUAGA57, which will be hosted this year in Georgetown, Guyana by the Guyanese government.

    This year’s general assembly has been organized around the timely central theme “Caribbean Media and AI”, a topic that carries growing urgency for newsrooms across the region as the industry navigates both the transformative opportunities and disruptive impacts of artificial intelligence on journalism, content creation, and audience engagement. CBU President Anthony Greene formally confirmed the theme and venue in a pre-recorded video message shared with CBU members and industry stakeholders earlier this year.

    The three-day gathering is expected to bring together a diverse cross-section of global and regional media stakeholders, including media executives, working journalists, academic researchers, independent content creators, international development partners, and media equipment and service suppliers. The event’s programming will include professional development workshops, panel discussions on emerging industry trends, networking opportunities, and the formal celebration of regional media excellence through the awards gala. The CBU Annual General Assembly has long stood as one of the Caribbean’s premier forums for cross-sector dialogue and collaboration within the regional media industry.

    As event preparations progress, CBU will release full registration details and complete programming information through its official website and social media channels in the coming weeks.

  • Atlantis spectacular promises glitz and glamour for entire family

    Atlantis spectacular promises glitz and glamour for entire family

    A groundbreaking new live entertainment experience that fuses cirque acrobatics, Broadway theatricality and cinematic digital magic is set to debut this holiday season at the iconic Atlantis Theatre, bringing one-of-a-kind family-friendly fun to Bahamas vacationers. As the flagship attraction for Atlantis Paradise Island’s 2026/27 holiday programming lineup, this limited-engagement run will offer guests a uniquely immersive seasonal experience that blends death-defying stunts, heartfelt storytelling and cutting-edge technical design.

    Conceived by Tony-accoladed Broadway director and producer Neil Goldberg, the production marks his first major new project following the sale of his widely successful Cirque Dreams brand to industry giant Cirque du Soleil. Drawing on the existing popularity of the POMP, SNOW and CIRQUEumstance franchise—which already spans best-selling storybooks, animated television specials, merchandise and smaller live events—the new stage show brings the beloved franchise’s story to life on a grand scale.

    The narrative follows three inseparable friends—Pomp, Snow, and Cirqueumstance—on a charming, magical journey as they hone their skills in music, illusion and circus performance at an off-the-grid arts university, before setting out to share their gifts and warm holiday messages with audiences across the world. To bring this story to life, the production has assembled a global cast of top-tier cirque performers, distinctive multidisciplinary artists, and theatrical talent, who perform in elaborate, audience-awing costumes that add to the show’s visual spectacle.

    What sets the production apart from traditional stage shows is its innovative integration of live performance and digital technology: a custom large-format LED stage environment blends pre-produced PSC animation with on-stage action, erasing the line between the physical and digital worlds to create an interactive, high-adrenaline adventure for all ages. Acts range from gravity-defying cirque stunts and large-scale illusions to lyrical musical storytelling, creating a dynamic experience that caters to both children and adult audience members.

    In remarks announcing the residency, Goldberg emphasized that the project aligns with his core creative mission: to deliver accessible, high-quality entertainment content that brings families together across the globe. Partnering with Atlantis Paradise Island, a destination globally recognized for its premium family-focused vacation experiences, offered the perfect platform to scale this new production for a wide audience.

    Atlantis’ addition of POMP, SNOW and CIRQUEumstance to its holiday lineup reinforces the resort’s long-standing commitment to bringing world-class exclusive entertainment experiences to guests visiting The Bahamas. Audrey Oswell, a leadership representative for Atlantis Paradise Island, noted that innovative entertainment has always been a core pillar of the Atlantis guest experience, and the resort continues to evolve its offerings to deliver one-of-a-kind memorable moments that cannot be found at any other travel destination. “From immersive once-in-a-lifetime marine encounters to award-winning global dining and exclusive world-class live productions, Atlantis is defined by unique experiences that can’t be replicated anywhere else,” Oswell explained. “POMP, SNOW and CIRQUEumstance continues that legacy, merging the awe of cirque performance, the glitz of Broadway spectacle, and the warm magic of the holiday season into a truly unforgettable experience for guests of all ages.”

    Tickets for the production are currently available in two tiers to fit a range of budgets: premium seating is priced at $100 per person, while general admission starts at $35 for children and $70 for adults, not including value-added tax. The show will run for a limited nine-week engagement from November 29 through January 8, timed to align with the peak holiday travel and vacation season at the Bahamas resort.

  • Dunn’s River Falls earns 2026 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award

    Dunn’s River Falls earns 2026 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award

    One of the Caribbean’s most iconic tourism landmarks has earned a prestigious international honor, solidifying Jamaica’s standing as a premier global travel destination. Dunn’s River Falls and Park, the popular St Ann-based natural attraction located in Ocho Rios, has been named a 2026 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards winner, placing it among the top 10 percent of attractions worldwide based on aggregated visitor reviews and ratings.

    The announcement came via an official statement released Wednesday by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), the government entity that manages the iconic site. According to the UDC, the award reflects a full year of consistently positive traveler feedback, and recognizes the attraction’s excellence across four key pillars: customer experience, service delivery, environmental stewardship, and strategic destination management.

    For Jamaica’s thriving tourism sector, this honor marks another major milestone that strengthens the country’s global brand, UDC officials emphasized. Sherlock Glenister, the UDC’s deputy general manager overseeing subsidiary management and revenue generation, noted that the recognition reinforces Jamaica’s long-held reputation as one of the Caribbean’s leading travel hotspots.

    “What makes this award so meaningful is that it comes straight from the travelers themselves—people from every corner of the globe who have experienced the one-of-a-kind magic of Dunn’s River Falls in person,” Glenister explained. “Ranking among the top 10 percent of attractions worldwide is a powerful endorsement of the quality, authenticity, and excellence that Jamaica consistently delivers to international visitors.” He added that the falls remain one of Jamaica’s most treasured natural and cultural landmarks, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

    Matt Dacey, Chief Marketing Officer of TripAdvisor, also extended his congratulations to the attraction’s management team on the achievement. “Congratulations to Dunn’s River Falls and Park on earning a spot in the 2026 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards,” Dacey said. “To rank among the top percentage of attractions globally means you have left such a lasting positive impression on your guests that countless visitors took time out of their schedules to go online and share glowing feedback about their experience. We hope this recognition drives even more visitor interest and growth for the attraction in 2026 and for years to come.”

    Famous for its guided waterfall-climbing experiences, pristine beach access, and diverse eco-tourism offerings, Dunn’s River Falls and Park has long been one of the most visited attractions in the entire Caribbean. The UDC pointed out that the award arrives at a particularly opportune moment for Jamaica: the country is currently seeing sustained strong demand from international travelers, alongside a growing global appetite for authentic nature-focused and sustainable tourism experiences—two areas where Dunn’s River Falls has become a regional benchmark.

  • High-Tech Light Show Honors Michael Ashcroft’s Legacy

    High-Tech Light Show Honors Michael Ashcroft’s Legacy

    On a clear Friday evening in 2026, the dark coastal sky over Belize City was reimagined as a dynamic, glowing canvas, as 1,000 synchronized drones took flight to honor an extraordinary legacy. This cutting-edge aerial spectacle, which capped off with a thunderous, vivid fireworks display, was organized to mark eight decades of deep connection between Lord Michael Ashcroft and the Central American nation of Belize.

    Choreographed to tell a sweeping narrative of Ashcroft’s long-standing involvement with Belize, the drone formation shifted continuously across the horizon, painting the night with intricate patterns that mapped out his far-reaching impact across multiple sectors. From his pioneering contributions to Belize’s business landscape to his transformative investments in education, his influence on the country’s political development, and his far-reaching philanthropic initiatives that have improved lives across the nation, every chapter of his 80-year association was brought to life through bright, moving animations.

    The event gathered hundreds of onlookers across Belize City, who turned out to watch the one-of-a-kind tribute that blended modern entertainment technology with public celebration. This display is not just a celebration of a single individual’s decades of connection to Belize; it also stands as an example of how cutting-edge drone art can be used to preserve and honor personal and national legacy for new generations. This report is adapted from a transcribed evening television news broadcast originally released by the local outlet.

  • The poetics of loss in Lucy’s Straw Hat

    The poetics of loss in Lucy’s Straw Hat

    Against a cultural landscape where Caribbean narratives are too often flattened into simplistic, sun-drenched postcard clichés, Chris DeRiggs’ *Lucy’s Straw Hat* emerges as a deeply moving, culturally vital work of community theatre that reclaims forgotten local history. Rooted in a real tragedy that unfolded 82 years ago—the mysterious disappearance of the passenger vessel Island Queen, which claimed 67 lives—the production reframes a little-remembered regional disaster not as a dry entry in a history textbook, but as an intimate, human exploration of grief, collective memory, and the quiet resilience that holds communities together through unthinkable loss.

    At the heart of the drama lies its namesake symbol: a simple straw hat that once belonged to Lucy DeSilva, one of the victims of the disaster. Far more than a prop, the hat haunts every scene as a layered metaphor for absence, identity, and the persistent pull of remembrance. DeRiggs, who serves as both playwright and director, deliberately avoids cheap, overwrought sentimentality. Instead of leaning on grand, sweeping historical monologues to tell the story, he lets the narrative unfold through the quiet, unvarnished voices of the loved ones the victims left behind—a choice that grounds the tragedy in lived experience rather than abstract fact.

    The production’s ensemble cast delivers a series of standout performances that anchor its emotional core. Leading the company is Neila Ettienne, who brings remarkable authenticity and quiet emotional weight to the role of Agatha DeSilva. Ettienne masters the power of restraint, letting pauses, subtle gestures, and unspoken feeling carry as much meaning as written dialogue, giving audiences an accessible, human entry point into the larger narrative of communal grief. Opposite Ettienne, DeLeon Walters brings sharp, energetic tension to the role of Pa John, perfectly capturing the roiling uncertainty and frustration that follows a sudden, unthinkable community tragedy. His performance feels deeply personal while resonating with universal experiences of loss.

    Rene DeRiggs’ turn as Hyacinth DeSilva adds rich, nuanced depth to the production’s central familial and communal dynamics, bringing a natural, unforced ease to the role that elevates the ensemble’s collective storytelling. This commitment to collaborative narrative, rather than individual star turns, is what sets this thoughtful community theatre work apart from hollow theatrical spectacle. Rose Bhagwan’s portrayal of Lucy DeSilva, meanwhile, balances warmth, gentle humor, and raw humanity. Far from serving merely as comic relief, Bhagwan’s Lucy becomes a vessel through which audiences experience the quiet, everyday rhythms of Grenadian life. In a production centered on grief and uncertainty, these small moments of ordinary joy and levity are essential, reminding viewers exactly what the community lost when disaster struck.

    Samuel Ogilvie’s turn as the production’s narrator and reporter marks a notable expansion of his acting range. Stepping into a new, understated role far from the loud, forceful characters he has played previously, Ogilvie delivers a nearly flawless English accent and a restrained tone that fits perfectly with the production’s meditative pace. Even the production’s smaller roles contribute significant depth to the narrative: Dexter Yawching brings quiet importance to the role of W E Julien, a figure of great consequence to Grenada’s modern historical record, while Deborah Grey’s portrayal of the Matron repeatedly anchors the narrative back to the present day, reinforcing the story’s ongoing relevance.

    As writer and director, DeRiggs displays a keen, intuitive grasp of Grenadian oral storytelling traditions. The entire production feels rooted in local speech, collective memory, and authentic Grenadian cultural experience, a quality that makes its universal themes feel all the more immediate. While the pacing drags slightly in a few scenes that could benefit from tighter editing, this small flaw is far outweighed by the raw emotional honesty at the work’s core. What emerges is a theatrical experience that feels unapologetically and specifically local, even as it speaks to universal truths about loss, endurance, and the ways communities hold onto the memory of those they have lost.

    The production’s greatest strength is its refusal to let the tragedy of the Island Queen remain an abstract footnote in history. By centering individual people and their grieving families rather than focusing solely on the event itself, DeRiggs creates a work that lingers in audiences’ minds long after the final curtain falls. The production breaks with traditional theatrical convention in its closing moments, when Agatha turns directly to the audience to plead for the creation of a permanent memorial plaque honoring the 67 people who died in the disaster, reminding viewers that the work of remembrance is not yet done.

    More than just a powerful piece of theatre, *Lucy’s Straw Hat* is a critical intervention into how Caribbean history is told. In an era that often erases or simplifies the region’s complex lived histories, this production stands as a testament to the power of centering ordinary people and unremembered tragedies. It is a landmark contribution to Grenadian theatre that feels both culturally specific and universally resonant.

  • Dream Wknd 2026: New city, new chapter, same energy

    Dream Wknd 2026: New city, new chapter, same energy

    For 16 consecutive years, the coastal town of Negril has served as the home of Dream Wknd, where thousands of visitors from across the globe have built idyllic summer memories against a backdrop of turquoise waters and infectious Caribbean rhythm. Now, one of Jamaica’s most beloved entertainment events is making a historic pivot: the 2026 staging of Dream Wknd will take over the golden sandy shores of Montego Bay, running from July 30 through August 3.

    Widely celebrated as Jamaica’s top destination festival, Dream Wknd has reshaped the Caribbean’s summer entertainment ecosystem over the past 16 years. Each year, it draws tens of thousands of local and international guests for a multi-day celebration packed with world-class DJ sets, live performances, immersive parties, and an unmatched electric energy that can’t be found anywhere else in the region. The 2026 move to Montego Bay, Jamaica’s bustling tourism capital, opens an exciting new chapter for the iconic brand.

    This location shift marks one of the most significant milestones in the festival’s 17-year history, and organizers say it sets the foundation for the most ambitious event the festival has ever staged. “Dream Wknd has always centered on evolution, elevation, and curating once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our attendees,” explained Scott Dunn, Group Managing Director of Dream Entertainment, the organization behind the festival. “As we mark our 17th year, Montego Bay offers the perfect backdrop for the next phase of the Dream Wknd journey. We’re bringing the same unmatched energy, the same core passion, and an even bolder, bigger vision for 2026.”

    Building anticipation ahead of the event, organizers have already unveiled a star-studded line-up stacked with some of the biggest names in contemporary dancehall. Headliners and featured performers include Alkaline, Tommy Lee Sparta, Shaneil Muir, Govana, Dexta Daps, Armanii, Skeng, Elephant Man, and Jamal, with additional surprise guests and unannounced performers set to be revealed in the coming months to ramp up excitement.

    A staple on the global entertainment festival calendar, Dream Wknd has a long track record of selling out all tickets months in advance, and consistently generates viral, trending moments that dominate social media feeds across the Caribbean and North America. It draws a diverse crowd of music fans, party enthusiasts, social media influencers, and international travelers hailing from the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and far beyond.

    “This 2026 staging promises the perfect seamless blend of cutting-edge music, laid-back Caribbean lifestyle, world-class fashion, and nonstop entertainment, all framed by Montego Bay’s postcard-perfect coastline, world-famous vibrant nightlife, and the iconic warm hospitality Jamaica is known for,” added Kamal Bankay, Executive Chairman of Dream Entertainment. “We’ve upgraded our production values completely, elevated every attendee experience, and rolled out brand-new event concepts designed to make this transition to Montego Bay go down in the festival’s history books.”

    Beyond the entertainment value for attendees, the festival’s relocation to Montego Bay is projected to deliver a major economic boost to the city’s local tourism and entertainment sectors. Industry analysts and local business leaders expect the event to draw thousands of overnight visitors, generating much-needed revenue and stimulation across local supporting industries, including hotels, guesthouses, transportation services, restaurants, tourist attractions, and retail outlets.

    To mark the historic 2026 edition, organizers have added several brand-new exclusive experiences to the event’s roster, alongside Dream Wknd’s classic signature events that long-time attendees know and love. The new activations include Bad Beaches SOS, Dream Live, and Foul Play, each offering a unique take on Caribbean festival entertainment for different attendee preferences.

    As the official countdown to the 2026 Dream Wknd kicks off, excitement is steadily building among the festival’s loyal long-time attendees, affectionately known as “Dreamers,” and first-time guests alike. All are eager to experience the next evolution of one of the Caribbean’s most iconic and celebrated entertainment brands.