The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

OFFICIALS from the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence yesterday raised concern about slow ticket sales as they guaranteed that this season’s parades will be “flawlessly and excellently produced”.

According to box office numbers, only 60 per cent of tickets made available for the Boxing Day parade have been sold, while roughly 25 per cent of tickets made available for New Year’s Day have been purchased.

After criticism over the previous parades, the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) said stakeholders and participants now understand they are “fighting for the pride of Junkanoo.”

During a press conference held to thank and acknowledge the key sponsors of the 2015-2016 Junkanoo season, JCNP used the platform to highlight the massive changes underway to ensure that both parades are produced at a world-class level.

Jeff Lloyd, chairman of the JCNP’s Parade Management Committee, said officials have dedicated themselves to presenting the title sponsors and the Bahamian people with the parades “they rightfully expect and deserve.”

“The demand of the worldwide community and, of course, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas for vision, for excellence is more urgent than it has ever been before in our country, and we shall deliver,” Mr Lloyd said.

Officials came under fire last year over the “lag times” within the parades, an issue the JNCP, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture officials and many of the category A groups have all stressed as a key drawback.

The 2015 New Year’s Day parade got off to a late start despite officials promising “drastic improvements” subsequent to the 2014 Boxing Day parade which delivered hour-long wait times between groups.

The JCNP was contracted through the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to manage and produce both the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades.

Both parades will celebrate the lives of Franklin “Count Bernadino” Ellis, Maureen Duvalier and Brian “Sir Boldie” Gibson.

Lead sponsors for the parades include BTC in its third year as title sponsor, Coca Cola and Kalik.

Tickets for Rawson Square are on sale for $48.38, Scotia Bank (Parliament Street to Charlotte Street) tickets for $37.63, and John Bull (Charlotte Street to Frederick Street) tickets for $16.13.

The 2015 Boxing Day parade will start at 10pm on December 25. The 2016 New Year’s Day parade will start on January 1, 2016 at 2am.