2 weeks ago
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Managing Director of Dream Entertainment, Scott Dunn, whose Dream Weekend event will debut in Montego Bay next year, said the team is preparing to support those affected by Hurricane Melissa. The Category 5 hurricane, which struck on Tuesday, wreaked havoc across the island, toppling power lines, flooding homes, and hitting western and southern parishes such as St James, Westmoreland, and St Elizabeth.
As of late yesterday, at least four lives had been lost, and hundreds of families were still displaced as recovery efforts continued across the island.
Dunn shared that his team has been reaching out to residents and partners in western Jamaica to determine where help is needed most and how Dream Entertainment can assist in the short term.
“If there’s ever gonna be a time in which these western parishes need our help, [it] is now,” he said, adding, “Suh anything that we can do in the immediate aftermath, but also long term in being an economic driver for these communities, we’re gonna go [hard] towards it.”
In a separate statement posted to Dream Weekend’s Instagram page on Wednesday, the organisers described the hurricane as one of Jamaica’s “darkest days”, expressing sympathy for those who have lost loved ones, homes, and cherished possessions. The post noted that the team has been in contact with authorities in western Jamaica and will be coordinating with them to determine how best to support recovery efforts.
“Now, more than ever, Jamaica needs us to come together,” the post read, calling on Dream’s global network of supporters to also assist in rebuilding affected communities.
Dunn noted that while preparations continue for Dream Weekend 2026, the festival’s focus has taken on new meaning in light of the hurricane’s impact. At the launch, it was stated that the event, which will be staged in Montego Bay for the first time from July 30 to August 3 next year, is projected to inject approximately $5 billion into the city’s economy and $400 million directly into local businesses and vendors.
Dunn said those figures underscore the importance of investing in western Jamaica’s recovery, not only through entertainment, but also by helping communities rebuild livelihoods.
“We’ve spent a long time in Westmoreland and Negril, and those people are near and dear to us,” Dunn said. “Right now, the focus isn’t on ticket prices or venues – it’s on how we can help.”
The cultural entrepreneur added that Dream Entertainment may collaborate with other organisations to expand its outreach, ensuring aid reaches those who need it most. As communities begin to pick up the pieces, Dunn believes collective effort from the public, private sector, and diaspora, will be vital.
“It’s very important because we’re all Jamaicans,” he shared. “If there’s ever a time we have to come together and take care of our own, it’s now.”
English (US) ·