What began as a premium beach house party in Portmore, St. Catherine has now transformed into a global phenomenon. The Sandz Caribbean Music Festival, founded in 2014, has become the largest event series out of Jamaica, with annual Millennial/Gen-Z promoted shows held in Florida, New York, Atlanta, Toronto, the U.K., and its home base in Jamaica. As the brand prepares for its Miami edition on May 26, headlined by Alkaline, chairman Carlton Davy reflects on the decade-long journey that brought Sandz from local beach vibes to international dominance.
“Alkaline’s live performance in Florida for the first time at Sandz is a big moment,” Davy said in an exclusive conversation with WMV. “This is his debut on the Sandz brand anywhere in the world and we have fans coming from all over the world. We’ve been building toward this for years, and now we’re locking down Memorial Weekend with Jamaican culture.”
Davy explained that Sandz is able to execute a party with an audience of more than 5000 people in multiple cities around the world, because it’s a finely tuned operation powered by a team of nine men from four core groups, including Andrew Ellis, O’Neil Forbes, Dexter Young, David Matthie, Kitwahna Vassell, Tiguana Mitchell, Jermaule Adair, and Jermane Davis.
Their vision to bring premium, stylish events to Jamaica has cause blocked roads in Kingston and attracted high-profile names overseas like Rick Ross, Winnie Harlow, Aidonia, Masicka as Sandz organizers say they continue to break boundaries in Caribbean entertainment.
The secret to their success? “No egos. We listen to each other, we’re organized, and we keep the brand bigger than ourselves,” said Davy. “Even during COVID, we adapted. We turned setbacks into strategy.”
Now a year after its 10th anniversary, the 2025 Sandz calendar reads like a world tour:
May 26 – Miami, June 29 – New York, July 5 – Canada, July 31st – Jamaica, August 17 – U.K. and September 1 – Atlanta. In October – St. Elizabeth and January 1 – Flagship event in Jamaica.
Each city has its own theme—bikini and jersey looks in Miami, rodeo vibes in Toronto—and showcases Caribbean food, fashion, and music. According to Davy, no venue is large enough to host Sandz on a beach anymore, so the team transforms parks into their signature island experience.
Sandz is now the biggest event brand to ever come out of Jamaica, and Davy said, “We’re not just putting on parties—we’re building culture, exporting Caribbean excellence, and leaving legacies.”
As Memorial Weekend approaches, all eyes are on Sandz Miami—where Caribbean pride, dancehall energy, and a decade of groundwork will converge for what promises to be a historic show.
