THE Fetish Junkanoo Carnival Company was crowned the winner of the second annual Road Fever Parade, which was hailed as “a step in the right direction” despite being marred by delays and confusion throughout Saturday afternoon.

The 60-strong group captivated the crowd with its theme ‘Sun, Sand and Sea’, depicting the “sensations of a true Bahamian escape.”

Showcasing several indigenous cocktails to the Bahamas, Fetish incorporated choreographed dance routines that mimicked the drinks’ creation, style and presentation.

The group beat Bahamas Masqueraders, last year’s winner, to secure the $7,500 grand prize. The runners-up received $5,000, while third placed Enigma received $2,500.

In the best use of indigenous materials, Barabbas Carnival Tribe was awarded the first placed prize of $7,500. The second placed prize of $5,000 went to Enigma and the third placed prize of $2,500 went to Friends of Gus.

Additionally Enigma emerged victorious in the best section category and was awarded $7,500. Bahamas Masqueraders claimed both the second and third place prizes for a total of $7,500.

Local singer Fanshawn Taylor won the 2016 Music Masters competition on Friday night. Her song ‘Dig up the Road’, was also voted best Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Road Fever song.

Saturday’s parade arrived at Da Cultural Village around 7pm, approximately eight hours after revelers departed the Thomas A Robinson track and field stadium.

According to parade organisers, the first of the 26 groups due at Da Cultural Village had been set to arrive at 5pm. However Bahamas Masqueraders did not reach the stage-gate until 7:05pm, 35 minutes after the arrival of the BTC title sponsor pace group.

Organisers blamed a markedly longer parade route for Saturday’s delays.

This year’s route was lengthened by co-ordinators to appease members of the carnival band community who had demanded a sizeable increase in the route.

After leaving the Thomas A. Robinson stadium, participants marched onto Bethel Avenue en route to Tonique Williams-Darling Highway, north on Blue Hill Road, west on Poinciana Drive, north on Nassau Street and finally into Da Cultural Village.

Once at the Western Esplanade finish line, things became more perplexing as many of the bands had merged along the route, meaning judges had to scramble to determine themes and identify sections of each band.

Ahead of the parade each group had been allotted 10 minutes to parade across the judges’ station. Of those 10 minutes, two were allotted for each section of the group; any additional time resulted in penalties.

The third group to enter the judges’ station was a mesh of five bands - Spilligate, JunkaBrations Limited, Junkanoo Commandos, STARZ and Indigenous Road Fever Carnival Band - all with separate themes and multiple sections.

The confusion forced judges to again slow the pace of the parade further to ensure that each band was properly judged and scored.

Other mergers included the Reckless Pirates, Sting Carnival Group Bahamas and Empire of Love; Fusion Mas Band and Euphoria Madness Junkanoo Carnival; and finally, Rhythms Bahamas Carnival Band and Explosion.

Road Fever spokesperson Freddie Munnings Jr. admitted that Bahamas National Festival Commission officials would have to adjust a number of key elements to the parade to ensure that it flows more efficiently in the future.

Mr. Munnings acted as parade marshal on Saturday.

“Obviously we need management, more marshals and a more cohesive plan to ensure that no matter the size of the parades or the amount of groups that we would be able to efficiently move the parade through,” he told The Tribune at the conclusion of the Road Fever Parade.

“I mean we get it. We understand that people, once on the road, want to have as much fun and enjoyment as possible. We know that participants want to put on a performance and all that comes with it. So moving forward we have to find creative ways to fold in these critical elements to ensure that those on the road are happy, while spectators are able to watch in an enjoyable way.”

Mr. Munnings said he was “unequivocally” impressed by the success of the parade. He noted that despite timing and organisational issues, the parade must be graded on its ability to draw participants and grow the Bahamian culture.

Mr. Munnings said that of the 26 groups involved in Saturday’s parade, nearly 20 incorporated the natural sound of Junkanoo, all incorporated authentic Junkanoo costume designs and one, Enigma, incorporated an entire Junkanoo section into its band.

Prime Minister Perry Christie, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, Agriculture Minister V. Alfred Gray and Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts were all present to take in the sights and sounds of Saturday’s parade.

Mr. Christie was also at the start of the parade, touring many groups and spurring on participants.

Mr. Christie told The Tribune that the Road Fever Parade has quickly grown to a level to which the government could “completely stand back from it”, implying that the parade and its organisation was now at a place where private resources and planning could take over and sustain the project.

In 2015, the government offered all the participating bands funding packages to allow them to offer costumes to the public at a discounted price. The mechanism was engineered to ensure both band and public participation.

This year, the government did not offer any seed funding to groups, however, with an increase in corporate sponsorship, parade participation doubled.

Bahamas Masqueraders, the largest group in Saturday’s parade, had some 400 people participating in Road Fever.

By Ricardo Wells, Tribune Staff Reporter

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