NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Bahamas National Festival Commission is calling the first-ever Junkanoo Carnival a ‘resounding success.’ Following a presentation of its 2015 Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Report to the Cabinet of The Bahamas, the Commission met with members of the media, July 28, at the Office of the Prime Minister to discuss the outcome of the Festival.
Chairman of the Bahamas National Festival Commission Paul Major said that the festival had a ‘positive’ impact on the country.
“Our main goals for the Festival were to create an economic stimulus within the cultural sector; expand our tourist product offering; develop a framework for indigenous cultural production; create a platform that exposed Bahamian music to the world and revolutionized the entertainment industry; promote Bahamian entrepreneurship; and foster multi-sector economic impacts. Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival 2015 successfully accomplished those goals,” he said.
According to the Commission’s report, the three-day inaugural festival provided temporary employment for approximately 7,200 Bahamians, including direct employment for thousands of musicians, Junkanoos, administrative, production and support staff both in the public and private sectors, and indirect employment though vendors and other affiliate companies involved in product and service delivery. The report stated that the Festival ‘impacted’ a total of 890 small and medium enterprises, whose products and services were engaged by the Commission over the course of the year.
“Make-up artists, models, designers, musicians, builders and construction workers, media houses, production companies, communication professionals, printing companies, security services, sanitation services, food and beverage companies, transportation companies, equipment rental companies, models, event planners, t-shirts and memorabilia; tourism-related businesses and catering companies: This is just a sampling of businesses that benefited from the investment into the creative sector represented by Junkanoo Carnival,” said Mr. Major.
The Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival was held over two weekends during the months of April and May of this year in Grand Bahama and New Providence. The police estimated that the event attracted over 50,000 patrons in Grand Bahama and over 115,000 persons in New Providence.
The Commission report stated that the government’s investment of $11.3 million generated in direct economic activity $13.5 million in Nassau and $5.5 million in Grand Bahama. An estimated $6.7 million was collected in tax revenue ($4.5 in Nassau; $2.2 in Grand Bahama).
It is estimated that the festival generated approximately $1.6 million in direct revenues ($1.3 in Nassau; $300,000 in Grand Bahama). Mr. Major said that this shortfall in revenues is a result of the lack of international sponsorship revenue, which was projected at $5 million and tickets sales, which did not materialize due to the late announcement of the festival musical headliner.
It is anticipated the next year’s festival will be ‘even better.’ The Commission has already commenced planning for the 2016 event, which is slated for April 15-16 for the Grand Bahama kickoff and May 5-7 for the finale weekend on New Providence.
