Next: 26 Dec 2026
Junkanoo
Before dawn on Boxing Day, and again at New Year, costumed groups rush down the streets of Nassau.
What is danced for Junkanoo
Junkanoo is the street parade of the Bahamas. It is held in the dark hours before dawn on 26 December and again on 1 January. It is traced to the days of slavery, when the enslaved were given time off at Christmas. Large organised groups spend months making costumes from cardboard and wire covered in fringed crepe paper. They come down Bay Street in Nassau to goatskin drums, cowbells, whistles and brass. The movement is called rushing: a forward step and a rock in time, with set dances by the front line. Judges choose the winners.
The dances
Also part of it, and being written: Goombay (The goatskin drum music that drives the dancers.).
Written by the Ghungroo desk with AI assistance. Background: "Junkanoo" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.