Armanii and Malie Donn to Headline Vacae Weekend in Ocho Rios This Easter

Armanii, Malie Donn, and New York rapper Fabolous are set to headline six signature events when Vacae Weekend occupies Ocho Rios from April 3 to 6, with organizers at Twenty14 Ltd calling this Easter run the most ambitious edition of the party series since it launched in 2019.

The programming runs across four consecutive days, each with a distinct identity. Friday, April 3 opens with The Lawn, built around an all-yellow dress code. Saturday doubles up with Tropical Saturday and the Estate All-White Soiree. Sunday transitions from the afternoon's Pic Nic Beach Club into the late-night Risque, with DJs Fyahman, Ricky Platinum, and Chromatic threading sets between the live performances to keep energy running from midday well into the early hours. The estate venues, beachside Sandz, and the Risque night event mark the main crowd concentration points.

Mayor Michael Belnavis is the anchor voice for what this weekend means to St Ann beyond the stage. Speaking at the media launch held at the Red Rabbit Lawn in New Kingston, he was direct: "Vacae Weekend will boost local commerce in tangible ways with hotel, Airbnb and guest houses occupancy." He went further, noting that this will be the first major cluster of events in Ocho Rios since Hurricane Melissa, framing the festival explicitly as a message to the diaspora. "This will be the first major set of events happening there after the storm, and the diaspora needs to know that Ocho Rios is open for business," Belnavis said.

A previous edition of Vacae Weekend created over 200 direct jobs and more than 300 indirect roles for Jamaicans, stimulating sales for local vendors, hotels, and transportation providers. That trickle-down reaches well beyond the main stages: transport operators running Easter weekend routes between Kingston and Ochi, guesthouses along the north coast, and the informal vendor economy that clusters wherever a Jamaican crowd settles for more than one night.

Andrew Ellis, CEO of Twenty14 Ltd, said the event is built to support the communities hosting it: "Many creative professionals benefit from the influx of visitors during the Easter weekend, so we continue to build platforms that showcase what Jamaica has to offer, while supporting the communities that host us."

Minister of Entertainment and Culture Olivia "Babsy" Grange reinforced that framing at the launch, describing the weekend as "more than a party series; it's a platform, and it's growing with intent," adding that Jamaica's broader economic machinery moves when its entertainment sector thrives.

Campari Group has signed on as title sponsor, the first official corporate anchor for the weekend, which was formerly known as We Vacae, enhancing not only the quality of the experience but also investor confidence in Jamaica's entertainment and lifestyle sector. Wray & Nephew also features in the sponsor mix.

Season ticket packages are on sale at $250. Easter weekend traffic on the Kingston-to-Ocho Rios corridor will be heavy, and hotels across St Ann are expected to hit high occupancy. The inclusion of Fabolous alongside Armanii and Malie Donn pushes the lineup's reach into the diaspora market, which is precisely where Twenty14 needs traction if it intends to keep scaling past this seventh edition.