The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

Festival Rum Bahamas is expected to become an annual event after 3,000 people visited Fort Charlotte over the weekend to take part in the “tremendously successful event”.

The festival was seven months in the making, according to one of its organisers, Catherine Chisnall-Mitchell.

It featured live entertainment from Bahamian acts and a rum tasting competition to find the best tasting rum from a group of more than 50.

Maylon Major, the festival’s social media strategist, said: “The live entertainment included Funky D, Rake ’n Scrape bands, circus performers, knife throwers, fire breathers, artists drawing caricatures and poetry reading, among other things.

“We had over 70-something booths,” she said, adding that that number consisted of mainly Bahamian vendors selling rum.”

She said that “a good mixture of Bahamians and tourists” attended the festival, she said, adding that interested tourists sent messages to event organisers on social media in order to secure tickets for the event.

Ms Major said the festival gained tremendous support from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

She said: “In a speech earlier this year the Prime Minister dedicated the year to culture and said he would like to see the Bahamas host a festival every month. This event grew organically and will be one of those major festivals the Prime Minister was talking about.”

Mrs Chisnall-Mitchell said the company Rum Bahamas has been around for two decades and has dreamt of hosting a festival of sometime.