What makes you a "Tru-Tru" Bahamian?
If you can't definitively pinpoint the answer to that question, then you may just want to take a turn at the Tru Tru Bahamian Festival, where it is said that a "Tru-Tru" Bahamian experience awaits -- including food favorites, arts and crafts, games, competitions, entertainment and a Junkanoo rush-out. By the end of it all, you may just be able to identify what makes you Bahamian.
The Tru Tru Bahamian Festival is a celebration of culture, heritage, traditions, artistic and culinary flair, and indigenous flora and fauna.
It will be held on Saturday at the John Watling's Distillery, showcasing a myriad of experiences for the family.
The festival, which began in 2015, showcases what makes each island individually unique and what each lends to traditions, handicrafts, food and drink, the environment and celebrations of song and dance.
In its young history the festival has been the place where children can take in creatures from land and sea as well as plant life indigenous to the islands. They will be able to interact with animals, play games and learn about Bahamian traditions lost to the modern age of electronics.
Games from yesteryear, such as ring play and plait the maypole take adults back in time.
The festival also features Bahamian sounds and traditional musical celebrations with performances by the much-lauded Royal Bahamas Police Force Band, high school bands and local hometown talent.
The festival was originally scheduled for November 2016, but was postponed after Hurricane Matthew stormed The Bahamas in October 2016; organizers wanted to give people a chance to regroup.
Four months after its initial date, Bahamas Hotel Tourism Association (BHTA) executive member Nina Maynard said officials expect the Tru Tru Bahamian Festival to be better than ever.
"This festival is for locals and visitors, young and old. Everybody is invited because there is something for everyone to do. Tourism has changed, and people are not just looking for sun, sand and sea. They are coming looking for who we are. We are looking to bring back who we are in our culture, in our food, in the way we interact, and so the Tru Tru Bahamian Festival brings all of that together," said Maynard.
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (MOT) sponsors the event.
"The Ministry of Tourism is involved in the Tru Tru Bahamian Festival because it is the intention of the minister of tourism to have exciting events year round throughout the Islands of The Bahamas," said Charity Armbrister, MOT director of events. "Also, being able to partner with the private sector can assist in the sustainability of the event," she said.
The Tru Tru Bahamian Festival gates will open at 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. with a Junkanoo rush-out. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

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