The Tribune

JUNKAMANIA, described as “a concert of musical orchestras infusing Junkanoo music with non-traditional instruments”, will feature on the opening night of the inaugural Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival next month, the organisers announced yesterday.

And Bahamian music legend Ronnie Butler will take to the stage as the star turn on Saturday, May 9, in a rare performance of all of his greatest hits.

Scheduled for performances during the three-day peak of the Junkanoo Carnival season are several world-renowned and award-winning artists, including Ronnie Butler, Grammy Award winning Baha Men, Trinidadian Soca singer Machel Montano, Julien Believe, Bunji Garlin and Visage.

“The Bahamas National Festival Commission is extremely pleased to be announcing this line-up of some of the best artists that this country and this region has to offer,” said CEO of the Bahamas National Festival Commission, Roscoe Dames, yesterday. “We are excited to bring the Caribbean to The Bahamas as we take The Bahamas to the world.”

In addition to Junkamania, guest performances by Julien Believe, Bunji Garlin and Visage are also scheduled for Thursday, May 7, when the festival starts at Da Cultural Village, Nassau.

On the Friday night, the Music Masters top ten finalists will compete for the $20,000 grand prize on Fort Charlotte. The Music Masters competition will include special performances by Baha Men and Machel Montano. A top group out of Haiti also will be performing, the Commission announced.

The lineup for Saturday will also include a taste of Latin America, with a Cuban band flying in to play at the Carnival’s All-Star finale event. Soca artists Skinny Fabulous and Olatunji will also perform before the grand event of that night, when Ronnie Butler will take to the stage in a rare performance of all of his greatest hits.

“This is an All-Star lineup that we feel will be one of the greatest entertainment events of the region,” said Dames.

The lineup for the scheduled Music Masters semi-finals concert, on April 17 and 18 in Freeport, Grand Bahama, includes top Billboard artist T-Connection, Jay Mitchell and the 17 semi-finalists. Ten of these artists will move on to the final rounds of competition on May 8 at the Music Masters Concert in Nassau, sharing the stage with the award-winning artists.