Sandz Festival Easter Weekend Jamaica

- Sandz Festival is the culminating event of a four-day party series called Vacae Weekend, curated by the organizers Twenty 14 Limited. The 2024 Easter weekend lineup included seven events: The Lawn, Pan Di Plaza, Aquaholix, Strickly 2k, Ova Suh, The Estate, and Sandz Caribbean Music Festival. - The 2024 staging of Sandz marked its 10th anniversary, celebrating its growth from a small beach party in Portmore in May 2014 to a major festival. Over its lifetime, the event series has attracted over one million patrons across 70 stagings. - The most recent Easter edition of the festival in 2024 drew over 8,000 attendees and featured performances by artists such as Jada Kingdom, Aidonia, Skeng, and American rapper Yung Miami. The previous year's event boasted a performance by American rapper Rick Ross and saw over 20,000 patrons. - The Vacae Weekend, which Sandz is a part of, is a significant economic event for the Ocho Rios area, expected to generate an estimated J$75 million in revenue and create over 200 direct and 300 indirect jobs for Jamaicans. - Beyond Jamaica, Sandz has expanded into a global brand with annual events held in several North American cities, including New York, Florida, and Toronto, Canada, catering to the Caribbean diaspora. - Music festivals are a major contributor to Jamaica's economy. For example, Reggae Sumfest can contribute between US$10 million and US$20 million to the Montego Bay economy, while in 2024, Carnival in Jamaica generated an estimated J$95.4 billion in total economic impact. - The festival's organizers, Twenty 14 Limited, formerly known as Supreme Team Limited, are led by CEO Andrew Ellis. - The success of Sandz is partly attributed to its early adoption of social media-first marketing strategies, utilizing brand ambassadors and online platforms to build a following, a different approach from many Jamaican promoters who traditionally relied on radio and TV.