Junkanoo Bahamas

Junkanoo is the Bahamas' foundational cultural tradition: a street parade of handmade costumes, goatskin drums, cowbells and horns rooted in the celebrations enslaved Africans held during their brief Christmas holidays. Beyond the two flagship Nassau parades, Junkanoo lives year-round through costume-making groups, called shacks, that spend months building each season's designs, and through smaller rushes held across the Family Islands.

Junkanoo is the Bahamas' signature cultural tradition, a street parade built around handmade costumes, driving goatskin drum rhythms and cowbells that traces its roots back to enslaved Africans in the Bahamas, who were given a few days off around Christmas and used the time to parade in disguise and celebrate community identity on their own terms.