Daydreams comes to town for Christmas

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

'Daydreams' is coming to town with a new sponsor in tow.

The extremely popular all-inclusive event that came to life six years ago and found a home in St Thomas is now set to move to Caymanas Estates for this year's renewal on December 19, but with the same high standards fans have come to expect and enjoy.

"We're doing a Tiki Village, very nice décor and with the best food and drink," said P.J. Wright, the party's promoter. It has always been their standard since the party's genesis back in 2004. Smirnoff will now be title sponsors replacing Red Stripe Light.

"Smirnoff as the premium brand of vodka is happy to be the major sponsor of this inaugural city staging of Daydreams. Daydreams is well known on the party scene as one of the most highly anticipated events and one that stands out and above," said Marsha Lumley, brand manager for Smirnoff.

"Our recent partnership in Negril for the Smirnoff Dream weekend saw an immediate synergy and we are going to carry that through this Christmas."

According to Wright, of Wright Image Entertainment, back in 2004 he and his colleagues were introduced to the Solaris Estate by Lorraine Fung, who used to provide catering for them. It was love at first sight. They decided then and there that they had to find a way to do a day party. They also understood that because St Thomas lacked that certain appeal to party fans, they had to find a way to make this party all-inclusive and exclusive.

It was from this ambition that Daydreams became a reality, and with its Hawaiian theme and an atmosphere that had patrons believe they were escaping from the harsh realities of their lives, it became an instant hit. However, since May 2004, when Wright Image gave life to their Daydream, the party grew and grew fast. This created a problem.

Venue

"The attraction with Daydreams was that we had a very premium venue, but we had to raise the price so high and limit the number of people because there was no space," he said.

Wright explains that with the move to Caymanas Estates they have more room to spread out and, in so doing, bring ticket prices down. "Ladies will pay $2,000, men $3,000 pre-sold, and it's $4,000 at the gate," Wright said.

Their long-time drink-mix providers Bars To Go is also planning to make this move to Kingston, an occasion to remember.

"At this staging, Bars to Go will be treating patrons to some of the tastiest and most colourful drink mixes around town. Christmas is a time to celebrate, and no celebration is ever complete without a great bar with mesmerising mixes. So not only will patrons be able to look forward to efficient and courteous service, but they will also be in for a lot of surprises from the Bars To Go team," said Patrice McHugh, head of Bars To Go.

Music will be provided by Jazzy T from Renaissance, Copper Shot, ZJ Liquid, and Dutty Dex.