Dream Weekend rolls out app-based transport network for all as MoBay prepares for festival influx

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dream Weekend will introduce a dedicated ride-hailing app, 500 authorised vehicles, and fixed US$5 per-person fares as organisers seek to improve transportation and ease traffic congestion for thousands of patrons attending this year’s festival in Montego Bay, St James.

The transportation initiative, unveiled during Wednesday night’s Montego Bay launch at Pier One, is being implemented in partnership with the Jamaica Tourism Ground Transportation Association (JTGTA) and is designed to provide visitors and residents with a safer, more reliable and affordable way to move around the city during the five-day festival.

Marketing Director Ron Burke said the fleet of 500 authorised vehicles will be easily identified by Dream Weekend branding and can be hailed directly from the streets or accessed through the Wyrdes ride-hailing app.

“We have 500 branded, authorised cars that will be moving patrons for the entire duration of the eight events over the five days,” Burke said. “You pretty much wave them down. They’re branded front and back.”

He said Dream Entertainment has negotiated a special flat fare of US$5 for travel anywhere within Montego Bay, removing uncertainty over transportation costs while helping to reduce congestion around the festival’s venues.

Burke said the service would not be limited to festival patrons.

“They’re not just open to visitors coming to Dream but to everybody,” he said, encouraging Montego Bay residents to take advantage of the initiative during the festival.

Andre ‘P’Nut’ Brown, of Social Butterfly Entertainment Group, said the Wyrdes app, available through the Google Play Store, offers users easy access to the authorised transportation network while guaranteeing the specially negotiated fare.

“The purpose is to offer guests convenience at this special rate that Dream has locked in with transportation providers,” Brown said.

Burke said the transportation improvements form part of a wider effort to deepen Dream Weekend’s economic impact by encouraging patrons to explore more of Montego Bay rather than travelling only between accommodation and event venues.

“We want businesses that have been here for years to feel the impact financially from Dream Weekend,” he said, inviting operators to engage organisers on ways to participate in the festival.

Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Jason Russell said the festival’s relocation reflects the city’s growing capacity to host events of international scale, arguing that Dream Weekend had outgrown Negril in Westmoreland and required a destination with the accommodation, airlift, and infrastructure to support its continued expansion.

Russell recalled outlining Montego Bay’s strengths to Dream Entertainment executives during early discussions, highlighting the city’s international airport, extensive room stock, and proven ability to host major events.

“There was a pride that I was feeling,” Russell said. “I wasn’t trying to fluff it up. We have these things, and we’ve done these things before.”

Dream Weekend is expected to attract more than 30,000 patrons when it takes place later this month, providing a major boost for hotels, restaurants, transportation operators, and other businesses across Montego Bay.

Dream Weekend will feature eight events over five days from Thursday, July 30, to Monday, August 3, beginning with Xodus on Thursday before moving into Dream Live on Friday night.

Activities continue on Saturday with Daydreams and Yush, followed by Wet and Wild and Fulla Vybz on Sunday. The festival concludes on Monday with Xodus Remedy, which will culminate in a mini road march through the Montego Bay Convention Centre grounds before closing with Igloo.

Macherie Samuels, head of operations, said this year’s staging would transform multiple venues across Montego Bay, including the Aqueduct, the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Pier One, and The Palms in Rose Hall, to deliver what organisers describe as the festival’s most ambitious production to date.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com