The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Junkanoo season has opened to surging demand, with several prime viewing areas for the Boxing Day Parade already sold out and thousands more seats close behind as officials race to meet interest that briefly overwhelmed the ALIV Events ticketing platform earlier this week.

ALIV Application and Solution Developer Tanya Bain said yesterday that Boxing Day sections H, I and F are fully sold out. Rawson Square is 97 percent sold, with only a narrow band of seats still available, while Section G — covering Charlotte Street through Parliament Street — is also 97 percent sold. Seats remain in other areas of the route.

The company’s new VIP section, located in the Cabinet Office parking lot and priced at $260, has just one remaining ticket for Boxing Day. VIP tickets for New Year’s Day are also moving quickly.

“New Year's Day Parade is wide open and it's ready to be sold,” Ms Bain said.

The strong sales come after Junkanoo fans faced technical difficulties on Monday, when the ALIV Events app became inaccessible during a rush of early buyers. Social media erupted with complaints before ALIV issued a statement acknowledging that the platform had been hit by an unusually high volume of simultaneous purchases. The company said technicians worked urgently to restore access, and officials reported yesterday that the platform is now functioning normally.

National Junkanoo Committee Chairman Andrew Pinder said ticket sales opened to an enthusiastic response, prompting the committee to expand its ticket pool from just over 5,000 in previous years to more than 8,000 this year. The NJC also announced new awards for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades, including the King Beller Award, the Raw Zone Award and the Fanfare Award.

Meanwhile, preparations continue for the Bahamas Junkanoo Festival, designed to keep the cultural celebration alive year-round. The festival will be held across two venues over five days—December 18 and 19 at Pompey Square, and December 20, 21 and 28 at the Government Printing building on Bay Street. Events will include live rush outs, a Junkanoo cultural village, costume-building demonstrations, youth workshops, a marketplace and nightly entertainment.