No visa, no problem! - BRT Weekend goes to Dominican Republic

This year, Hans-Peter Mullings, creator and organiser of BRT Weekend, celebrates the sixth year of his party franchise. With a history of party promotion that goes back to his days as a high-school student, Mullings thought that there was a need for a destination vacation weekend. For four years, the weekend had its home in Florida, until last year when the event was hosted for the first time in Huntington Beach, California.

Now, the idea of BRT Weekend is to give people a reason to travel. Mullings admitted to requests to host BRT Weekend in Jamaica, but that action would take away from the original intent of the weekend festival.

"Our main focus right now is to get people to see other things. The best way to learn is to see other things, and that's what we're trying to establish," Mullings told THE WEEKEND STAR.

In an ambitious move, Mullings has decided to take BRT Weekend on tour.

"A lot of destination weekends will have something, but after three or four years, you've seen it," Mullings said. "We switch it up even while we're in the [Florida] Keys. So we're in Isloforado, and then we have some parties in Key Largo. We make sure that we move the thing around, so we keep people interested. When you're there, you can do the other excursions that are there. Go on a helicopter ride, go snorkelling. But you still have the foundation entertainment of reggae music."

This year, potential patrons of BRT Weekend who do not hold a US visa will be able to enjoy the events in the Dominican Republic, the first destination of the tour. After it first instalment in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in March, with a live performance from dancehall star Popcaan, the event then moves on to California for Memorial Day Weekend on May 26. BRT Weekend will then travel to the Tri-State area in New York on July 7.