The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

INTRODUCED with great fanfare in 2015, Carnival in The Bahamas was meant to establish itself as a staple on the country’s cultural calendar. Now, opinions on its future are split, with many seeing it as a fading experiment that never fully took root in Bahamian culture.

“The interest in carnival is just not there,” said Anthony Coakley, the co-founder of the Enigma Carnival Group, which launched in 2015 but ended in 2019.

“We started with 23 bands. Now, there are probably six or seven — it has dramatically declined.”

When the event first launched, it was marketed as a breakthrough, blending elements of Junkanoo with the style and energy of Caribbean carnival traditions. Its name –– Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival –– was intended to highlight Junkanoo’s influence while reassuring critics who feared the festival would distract from the country’s signature cultural event.

At its height, the event attracted thousands of people, with large parades in Grand Bahama and New Providence, as well as performances by both local and international artists.

The government initially allocated millions of dollars to the festival, with $9 million initially set aside for its launch in 2015.

Mr Coakley said some bands had up to 1,000 participants in the early years.

Last year, some barely managed 20 to 30 people.

The festival faced a setback in 2017 when the government reduced its subsidy by 50 percent. In 2018, it withdrew funding entirely. Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis acknowledged the economic benefits of the event but criticised the Christie administration’s heavy investment in it.

Mr Coakley said the lack of funding left the festival struggling to maintain momentum, emphasising that some parades worldwide benefit from government assistance with promotion and logistics.

Last year, the festival began distancing itself from the Junkanoo association, dropping its mandate for Junkanoo-infused costumes.

“If you want someone to come and spend $2,500 to come here, you’re trying to get them to the product they’re used to,” explained Bahamas Carnival Association (BCA) president Dario Tirelli.

To many, the festival is at a crossroads.

“When we look across the country, it definitely doesn’t have the same level of excitement that it used to,” said Jayson Braynen, co-founder of Mas Khaos Carnival Band, which debuted in 2022.

Nonetheless, he believes his group’s approach, which emphasises affordable costumes and more intimate events, signals how Carnival can work in The Bahamas.

“We prioritise connection over numbers,” he said yesterday.

“It doesn’t have to be like Trinidad. We have our own identity.”