The Tribune

ARTISTS, dancers, musicians, craftsmen and storytellers from across the archipelago are coming together for Kalik’s family-friendly Festival of The Bahama Islands.

The festival, set for Saturday, June 29, is designed for local families and visitors to get a taste of the fare, crafts and entertainment of all the islands.

The day-long party of all things Bahamian will be held at the Botanical Gardens, near Fort Charlotte and Clifford Park, in Nassau.

“Kalik’s Festival of The Bahama Islands will celebrate our love for Bahamian music, food and entertainment and offer champions of Bahamian culture opportunities to showcase their contributions as a part of the Bahamian cultural experience,” said Kalik Brand Manager Jannifer Thurston.

An official 40th Anniversary of Independence event, the festival’s timing was set less than two weeks from the country’s Independence Day celebrations, on July 10, while Kalik is also celebrating a birthday of its own with a silver 25th anniversary.

The highlight will be an all-Bahamian concert featuring well-known Bahamian musicians which will broadcast on ZNS-TV from 8pm.

Doors open at 10am with the celebration’s official kick-off at 12pm. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children under the age of 12 for a full day of Junkanoo music and costume building demonstrations, quadrille dancing, jewellery making, painting, percussion musical performances, fashion shows, bush tea demonstrations, crab catching and straw plaiting lessons, Cascarilla bark demonstration and more.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band and the Lassie Doh Boys are also on tap for entertainment and a concert entitled Celebrating 40 Years of Bahamian Music featuring Tingum Dem an’ Friends is also lined up. The event will culminate with a Junkanoo rush.

Kalik’s Festival of The Bahama Islands is sponsored by BTC, Coca-Cola and ZNS with the support of the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture. For more information, contact 397-1452 or 397-1429.