NASSAU, 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.

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