Seiveright says Dream Weekend and major festivals fuel MSME growth in western Jamaica

Hon. Delano Seiveright, Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, has pointed to large-scale entertainment gatherings as a growing force behind Jamaica’s economic momentum, with festivals like Dream Weekend creating fresh openings for firms—especially micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Speaking ahead of the 17th staging of the festival in Montego Bay, Mr. Seiveright said Dream Weekend has become one of the island’s leading entertainment draws while channelling substantial commerce to hotels, restaurants, transport operators, event suppliers, vendors and hundreds of MSMEs spanning several industries.

“Dream Weekend demonstrates the important contribution that major entertainment events make to economic activity by supporting businesses, creating employment opportunities and generating increased commercial activity across multiple sectors,” Mr. Seiveright told JIS News.

“I am particularly pleased to see the deliberate incorporation of micro and small businesses into the Dream Weekend ecosystem. Providing opportunities for Jamaican entrepreneurs to participate, earn and grow is exactly the type of inclusive economic development we want to encourage,” he added.

This year’s run, set for July 30 to August 3 in Montego Bay, arrives as western Jamaica moves through recovery and into a fresh cycle of investment and commercial growth in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.

Mr. Seiveright referenced several large public works reshaping the area, among them the ongoing expansion of Sangster International Airport, the finished Montego Bay Perimeter Road, construction of the Long Hill Bypass and the planned Hopewell-Sandy Bay-Lucea Bypass—projects he said should sharpen connectivity and underpin economic expansion.

He also drew attention to major private-sector commitments across the west, including UNICO Resort, Hard Rock Café, Moon Palace The Grand and other hotel developments, together with renovation and rebuilding work valued at hundreds of millions of United States dollars.

Other gains he listed include a completed 120,000 square-foot commercial bakery, a new PriceSmart warehouse club under construction and steady growth among restaurants, cafés, retail outlets and other small firms in the region.

“These investments reflect growing confidence in western Jamaica as a place to do business. Together with events like Dream Weekend, they are creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs, strengthening commercial activity and supporting sustained economic growth,” Mr. Seiveright said.

He praised organisers for rolling out a coordinated shuttle network involving hundreds of licensed transport operators, calling the move a model of cooperation between promoters and local operators that also lifts the visitor experience.

Mr. Seiveright also congratulated the team on another landmark year, noting that over 16 years the festival has moved from a well-known Negril party into one of the Caribbean’s biggest music and lifestyle gatherings. He extended wishes for a safe and successful event to organisers, patrons, visitors and residents.

Dream Weekend enters its 17th year and will be staged in Montego Bay for the first time after 16 editions in Negril. The programme spans eight events across five days and is projected to stir considerable economic activity throughout western Jamaica.