The rush is on as hundreds of street revelers make last minute costume purchases to ‘Jump In Da Line’ on Saturday, May 9th at the Road Fever event —the hottest Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival street party.
The spike in demand for costume comes as no surprise to the Bahamas National Festival Commission, organisers of the parade, or Dario Terrelli, president of the Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Association (BCBA) and Rhythms Bahamas Carnival Company.
“Within the last 72 hours, my company has produced 250 costumes to cater to the hundreds of last minute requests we received,” said Terrelli. “People have been standing outside of our doors and the calls are still coming in. I’ve spoken to a number of bands and the sentiments are the same, there has been an increase in demand for costumes.
“We expected Bahamians to be last minute, and to respond once they really started feeling the excitement.”
While fears of inclement weather were looming over the, party revelers made a mad dash to purchase costumes at the last minute and are ready to heat up the streets.
“Sales have increased tremendously. We are almost sold out, ” said Terrelli. “It’s encouraging to see how many Bahamians and visitors are excited to be a part of Road Fever.
“We’ve also received requests from visitors purchasing costumes as souvenirs of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and we wanted to ensure that everyone can participate and enjoy the parade.”
In the past week, several carnival companies have introduced low cost options, such as packages around $100 that include a costume, access to the carnival site and food and drinks on the parade. The strategy has resonated with hundreds of consumers. This move was facilitated by the BNFC as an incentive program to help stimulate demand in the costumes and minimize the cost of production of companies.
“After the success of the first night of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, there is a buzz around town. People are feeling the excitement and the revelry. Everywhere I go persons are stopping me on the streets to ask where they can purchase a costume,” said Terrelli, who promised that spectators could expect to see a kaleidoscope of colours that will light up the streets of Nassau on Saturday.
“Road Fever will showcase the spirit of Bahamian artistry. I want everyone to experience what we know will be an epic event,” he said. “If you haven’t purchased a costume and joined a carnival band, you don’t want to miss experiencing it from the sidelines. I encourage you to purchase tickets to watch from the Grand Stand.”
The Grand Stand is located inside Da Cultural Village. Tickets for the bleachers are $50. However, spectators can watch the parade for free along the route.
Road Fever will start at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (Bahamas Games Roundabout), travel northwest along Sports Centre Road. At the roundabout it will turn right onto the street formally known as Bethel Avenue; continue north to the six legged roundabout. It will then turn east onto Thompson Boulevard and continue onto Nassau Street. Turn left onto West Bay Street and onto The Western Esplanade; continue west through to “Da Cultural Village” ending at the West Bay Street exit.
ABOUT: The first Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, sponsored by BTC, is a collage of Bahamian culture set for May 7-9, 2015. It is a festive weeklong celebration where Bahamians and guests from around the world are immersed in all things Bahamian in an entertaining and interactive manner. For more information please visit our www.bahamasjunkanoocarnival.com, follow us on Twitter @carnivalbahamas, Instagram: Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and Facebook: Bahamas Carnival.
BTC is the proud title sponsor of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. The company has provided $1 million in funding to ensure the success of this national event.BTC has been a long-time supporter of Bahamian culture and arts and believes that this sponsorship will continue to further the evolution and growth of Bahamian culture.
