The Tribune

The National Junkanoo Committee (NJC) has announced that the Bahamas Junkanoo Festival will be split between December and late January, with the festival’s major evening events rescheduled to January 22–25.

In a statement, the NJC said the decision was taken after recognising the “extremely full cultural calendar” in December, noting that the original festival dates overlapped with several other long-standing national events. The committee said the adjustment would allow the festival to be delivered at its full scale while maintaining a presence during the holiday season.

Under the revised schedule, daytime cultural showcase activations will still take place in December. These include events in Pompey Square on December 18 and 19, ending around 5pm, featuring cultural demonstrations and a Junkanoo rush-out.

A “People’s Rush” will also be held on Bay Street on Saturday, December 20, timed to coincide with peak cruise passenger arrivals.

An ecumenical service is scheduled for Sunday, December 21, beginning at 5pm at the Government Printing site east of East Street, with participation from religious leaders and representatives of The Dilly Tree Committee (TDC).

The NJC said the remaining festival activities, including the major competitive and evening events, will be staged from January 22 to 25 at a Junkanoo cultural village east of East Street. The committee said this timing would better align the festival with other Junkanoo events nationally, including the Grand Bahama Junkanoo Parade, the Junior Junkanoo Parade in New Providence and Family Island parades, creating what it described as a more seamless Junkanoo season.

The committee added that further details on the January events will be released in due course.