Annual International Cultural Festival opens this weekend

Fri, Oct 19th 2012, 04:52 PM

Annual International Cultural Festival opens this weekend

Saturday & Sunday, 20 & 21 October, 2012 The Botanical Gardens, Chippingham

The Botanical Gardens, Chippingham will be fully dressed for the 17th Annual International Cultural Festival in Nassau this weekend, 20 & 21 October, 2012. With twenty three (23) countries on display and 140 booths strong, the three entrances will welcome the usual 25,000 patrons over the 2 day period. National Chairman of the International Cultural Committee, Hon. Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Immigration will officiate at the Opening Ceremony on Saturday morning at 11am. All are welcome.

The three Coca Cola Entrances on West Bay Street, Marcus Bethel Way and Chippingham will be open for business at 10am on Saturday and Sunday. Organizers are implementing express lanes to eliminate the long winding lines of previous years for the convenience and enjoyment of all.

Showing off a spanking new main stage sponsored by South African resident, Werner Gruner of the Starlight Global Foundation, festival-goers will also be able to visit expanded country pavilions with multiple booths staged by China, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, Peru and, of course, The Bahamas. New this year is Ethiopia and back this year are the Netherlands, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Scandinavia.

All photos courtesy of International Cultural Festival.

A must-see is Haiti. In the ICF spotlight, Haiti is rebounding from the 2010 earthquake with a brand new image. Visit Haiti’s 10 booth pavilion and get a sense of a nation that is exploring new and tested areas of commerce. Talk with experts about business opportunities for Bahamians. Sample Haitian coffee, look at their fine art, pottery, try their cuisine and consider some of their emerging tourist areas for a visit.

Host country, The Islands of The Bahamas will be 37 booths strong, showcasing local brews, seafood, arts & crafts, a nursery, tasty soft drinks, offering trip getaways to the Out Islands. This year the pavilion will be decorated by Wild Seed Designs who will transform the space into a truly festive setting.

Cuba is looking for “3 straight!” Winner of the Best in Show Cable Bahamas Booth Awards for the past two years, they will dust off the coveted floating trophy just in case, but are hard at work creating a pavilion that they hope will capture the imagination of the judges again and grant them the ultimate winner for a third year.

Leading sponsor Bank of The Bahamas will facilitate the cashless festival format again this year. This is not only a safety mechanism that protects vendors from leaving the grounds with oodles of money and possibly vulnerable to criminal intent, but it gives festival organizers a way to gauge the fiscal performance of the event, year-on-year. Additional security measures will be via a network of CCTV cameras throughout the grounds and parking areas for added safety.

Stage entertainers will be all the rage. There are some 350 performers representing a variety of countries that will proudly showcase their cultural traditions. A dance troupe is flying in from Haiti; the Filipinos will capture the crowds with their colourful costumes and dance routines; China will treat us to the lion dance and a fashion parade of regional costumes; crowd pleaser, Bahamas All-Star Marching Band will light up the lawn in front of the stage with their drills; and Cuba will treat us to interactive salsa dancing to name a few.

New this year is a free classical concert sponsored by the Starlight Global Foundation. Gates will remain open until 7pm for the convenience of straggling music lovers to join regular festival-patrons already gathered at the Botanical Gardens. The concert will begin at 7pm with the performance brought to us by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Nassau City Opera. Food and beverage booths will remain open until 9.30pm for the benefit of everyone at the concert.

“We’re very excited about the new elements of the festival and Starlight Global Foundation’s sponsorship of the refurbishment of the main stage and the free concert; the country pavilions as well as new booth holders and those who are making a come back. The festival is growing year-on-year and this is good to see in these uncertain economic times,” said Janet Johnson, Festival Chairman.

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