Project Manager for the Junkanoo Commandos group Angelique McKay said yesterday that sales and the number of participants are down this year as compared to last year for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival.
The second annual event began yesterday with the opening of the cultural village and Junkamania event.
McKay blamed the decline in sales and participation on the late start that the Bahamas National Festival Commission (BNFC) got on marketing efforts locally and internationally.
"The local market has to buy into a festival before the international market jumps on and because the marketing on the local level didn't take place on the same scale, people are weary about participating in it," McKay said.
She said event organizers for other festivals her group usually attends start planning and marketing a year out, which allows for people to plan well in advance of the events.
"We are definitely having a smaller number of participants than last year," she said. "But with any business we had hoped that it would grow; we hoped that we would be able to increase our numbers, to be able to increase the number of persons that we had costumed, but we are seeing that this will not happen. There has been a reduction."
McKay claimed that people were "apprehensive" as to whether the event would be held and she added the level of excitement has decreased from the first event.
"'Even some of the persons [who] participated in costumes last year are, even though they want to be a part of it, they are opting not to get the costumes," she said.
The BNFC has been criticized in the past for the late announcement of the carnival headliners and the level of organization of the event.
Dario Terrelli, president of the Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Association (BCBA) and Rhythms Bahamas Carnival Company, said final preparations are going well for the Road Fever scheduled for tomorrow. When asked if he expected a spike in sales, he said he hopes that sales will increase over the remaining 24 hours before the event. McKay said the lack of seed funding from the BNFC has had an adverse impact on her group, other bands, and potential customers.
The government announced in the lead up to the first Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival that all participating groups were to receive seed funding to help defray the cost of the costumes.
"We were expecting some sort of subsidy," McKay said. "I am speaking for our organization specifically. We don't feel that the persons [who] participated with us last year would be so inclined to pay more than they paid last year for costumes.
"So we had anticipated some form of subsidy to defray some of the costs associated with the costuming. We even modified our costume designs this year so that they would not be as elaborate, so that we could actually reduce prices and reduce the packages that we were able to offer. But it was still very challenging."
Packages are priced between $50 and $300.
McKay urged the BNFC to step up its marketing efforts for next year by gradually increasing its presence on social media and she encouraged the commission to never "dissolve" certain important committees.
"I think a marketing campaign should begin as soon as this year's carnival ends, not with a big bang but with soft marketing to begin to let people know that yes, this event is actually happening next year," McKay said. "The marketing and public relations department should not dissolve or go on vacation. That's a part of the machine that needs to be working year round."
Carnival in New Providence ends tomorrow.
Don Alleyne
Guardian Staff Reporter
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