MONTEGO BAY, St James — Organisers of Dream Wknd 2026 have arranged for a fleet of vehicles, which will charge each passenger US$5 per ride, to provide shuttle service to events being staged across Montego Bay from 30 July to 4 August.

“With the help of the various transport operators — JUTA, JCAL, Maxi — we have 500 branded, authorised cars that will be moving our patrons for the entire duration, for the eight events over the five days for Dream Wknd,” event founder and Festival Director Ron Burke said during the launch at Pier One, Wednesday evening.

The popular event is expected to attract thousands of revellers to Montego Bay, as it has done in the past for Negril where it was staged for the past 16 years. While the event has been credited with bringing visitors to the country and small businesses have benefited, one negative has been the resultant traffic snarls. Organisers say they have long been mulling the shuttle system now being rolled out for Montego Bay.

“I want to thank the Jamaica Tourism Ground Transportation Association for coming on-board and solidifying something we looked to start before we actually moved to Montego Bay – and that is alleviating a big issue where all Montegonians, for sure, would be affected — and that’s traffic congestion,” Burke explained.

“You basically wave that cab down, it’s going to be branded front and back, it’s going to be a flat fee of US$5 to get to anywhere in Montego Bay,” he added.

Burke stressed that Jamaicans attending Dream Wknd may also use the service.

“They’re not just open to the visitors that are coming to Dream but to everybody, all locals. Wave, show your armband, it’s going to be US$5,” he reiterated.

A ride-hailing service app called Wrydes, where trips may be pre-booked, has also been introduced, providing an additional transport option during the event.

Secretary of the Jamaica Tourism Ground Transport Operators Carlton Samuels has welcomed the shuttle service initiative, noting that hundreds of vehicles will be available to serve patrons at any given time.

“We’re making it cheap enough so it’s accessible, affordable and reliable,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

State minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce Delano Seiveright, who attended the launch, is also a fan.

Co-founder of Dream Wknd Kamal Bankay (right) greets attendees at Wednesday evening’s Dream Wknd 2026 launch. From left: State minister in the Ministry and Industry, Investment and Commerce Delano Seiveright; President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce Jason Russell and Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon. 

“I’m very happy with the initiative, which is being done in conjunction with the Jamaica Tourism Ground Transport Operators. It’s excellent because a lot of our visitors complain about the sheer inconvenience with moving around… Jamaica and also the costs of moving around,” he told the Observer on the sidelines of Wednesday evening’s launch.

“To know that there’s a dedicated service at a really reasonable price to move people around the events, to get them from one event to another, done by professionals who are registered and licensed, Jamaicans who are properly organised, it’s a big step in the right direction,” Seiveright added.

He encouraged organisers of other major events to consider adopting a similar transport model.

For its inaugural staging in Montego Bay, Dream Wknd will offer eight parties across several venues including The Palms at Rose Hall, The Aqueduct, Pier One, Tropical Bliss, and the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

Addressing the decision to relocate, co-founder Kamal Bankay said Montego Bay’s infrastructure, including its airport, attractions and accommodation, played a significant role in the move. He noted that room availability was a key consideration.

“What we identified first when we looked at Montego Bay as a destination is that Montego Bay, when we made the decision, had about 13,000 rooms.

“When, unfortunately, the devastating Hurricane Melissa hit, the room stock was cut by about 40 per cent, as of now. Rooms are coming on-stream more and more every day,” Bankay told the gathering.

“What that actually means is that Montego Bay has more rooms than other cities than we would have considered, so we are still in a better position now being in Montego Bay,” he stated.

He stressed that organisers remain confident in the destination’s capacity and are optimistic about the festival’s prospects in the western city.

“When you look at what the future holds in terms of investment, there is nothing bigger than the investment happening in the tourism sector in Montego Bay,” said Bankay.

“We look at this as year one, and year two is going to be exponentially bigger. We’ve doubled down on our investments and we are here to stay so it’s going to be fantastic,” he added.