Entertainment franchise VaCae Weekend officially launched its 2023 suite of events on Wednesday night, promising fans a packed weekend of fun and featuring almost a dozen big-name artists.
The launch was held at the Volkswagen Showroom in Kingston, where lead promoter Andrew Ellis revealed that VaCae Weekend returns for the first time since the pandemic and will offer partygoers and tourists seven premium entertainment experiences. These include ‘The Lawn’, ‘Pan Di Plaza’, ‘Strictly2K’, ‘Aquaholix Fete’, ‘Ova Suh’, ‘Sandz’, and ‘The Estate Jamaica’ all running off simultaneously from April 7 to April 10, 2023, and spread across venues in Ocho Rios and other areas of St. Ann.
Vacae Weekend was previously canceled last year due to Covid-19 restrictions, but according to Ellis, he expects this year to be bigger and attract more people from the diaspora, tourist markets, and locally.
“Covid-19 and everything happened so now it’s our first time coming back out and we’re excited about the fact that our local and international audiences are coming down to Ocho Rios and having a good time,” Ellis told Urban Islandz.
The event lineup includes the first-time event ‘The Lawn’ taking place on April 7 at Plantation Cove in Ocho Rios at 2 p.m. and will feature entertainers Gyptian and Moyann.
Dancehall fete ‘Pan di Plaza’ is staged later that night, starting at 9 p.m. at Plantation Cove, with entertainer Ding Dong returning to perform his smash hit singles.
The next day, patrons will attend ‘Aquaholix Fete’, a water party on April 8 at Bay Beach starting at 2 p.m. For the first time, ‘Strictly2K’, usually held annually on Boxing Day, will be held at Plantation Cove starting at 9 p.m., which will bring a throwback dancehall as the name suggests. Munga Honorable is also set to perform live at the event.
Crowd favorite ‘Sandz’ will take place on April 9 at Plantation Cove beginning at 2 p.m. and will feature American rapper Rick Ross bringing the vibes to the premium experience.
Later in the evening, ‘Ova Suh’ will host its ‘Sleep Wear Edition’ party at Dunn’s River Parking Lot and feature Beenie Man, and Stalk Ashley booked to perform.
‘The Estate Jamaica’ will close off the event on April 10th with an all-white theme held at Dunn’s Rover Lawn beginning at 5 p.m.
According to Ellis, promoters have been hard at work to curate the best experience for partygoers who can experience premium drinks and food. Ellis also promised improved logistics for his event, Sandz, and those held in Ocho Rios, as thousands of people are expected to converge on the resort town for the popular Easter weekend celebrations. There have been recent calls for more structure to avoid traffic build-up and delays, but Ellis promised that the promoters are working out the finer details to ensure patrons have a smooth and enjoyable experience.
For tickets, visit firstinlineja.com. General tickets start at U$250, and VIP is U$400.
