Malie Donn Lights Up Ocho Rios as Campari Sandz Ends Easter Run

Malie Donn, Shukkle Bus, Chromatic, Donhot and Ricky Platinum gave Ocho Rios one last burst of Easter-week energy as Campari Sandz Festival closed Vacae Weekend with a packed, high-spirited finale at Plantation Cove.

The Monday night show landed as the capstone to a four-day run that stretched from April 3 to April 6, 2026, and expanded into six events under the Twenty14 Team. By the time the lights came up at Plantation Cove, the weekend had done exactly what it set out to do: keep the holiday circuit moving through food, fashion and hard-pulling live entertainment, then finish with a crowd that turned out in strong numbers for the last lap.

Malie Donn owned that closing stretch. The rising dancehall artiste brought the kind of pressure that has been pushing his name deeper into the scene, working through crowd favourites like 7:00 pm, Body Tea and Dragga as the audience stayed locked in from start to finish. His set reinforced the momentum behind a catalogue that has also been building around songs like V6 and Cups Up, while adding another strong chapter to the live reputation he has been forming through standout appearances at Reggae Sumfest and the 4 Shooters Only From the Block series.

The setting mattered just as much as the booking. Plantation Cove, which was established more than 40 years ago and turned into an event venue in the early 2000s, has become one of the key stages in Jamaica’s entertainment economy. Some of its biggest 2025 events, including We Vacae, drew more than 35,000 patrons each, and Sandz once again used that scale to full effect. The Pirates of the Caribbean theme ran through the décor, the stage design and the overall atmosphere, giving the night a polished, immersive look that matched the premium feel the brand has been building.

Campari’s year-long title partnership with Sandz Festival also showed in the way the production was framed and activated on site, with the sponsorship helping elevate the experience from a single concert into a broader party brand. For Malie Donn, it marked his first local performance of 2026 and a prominent Jamaican stage return at a time when dancehall turnout is being driven by artistes who can command a crowd and fit cleanly into a branded event built for live impact. In Ocho Rios, Vacae Weekend ended not with a soft landing, but with a full-throttle reminder of how big Easter can still feel when Plantation Cove is the lens.