NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A widening rift between the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture has escalated into a full-blown standoff, with the JCNP warning that it will stage its own private Junkanoo parades this holiday season if the Ministry does not reverse its decision to hand management of the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades to the National Junkanoo Committee (NJC).
In a strongly worded letter dated October 6, 2025, addressed to Minister Mario Bowleg, JCNP Chairman Dion Miller accused the Ministry of acting in bad faith, ignoring established partnerships, and making decisions that could cost the JCNP and its corporate sponsors nearly three-quarters of a million dollars.
The letter takes issue with a poll the Ministry referenced in an October 1 press release, which claimed that 19 Junkanoo groups supported the NJC’s leadership of the parades. Miller said the poll was “manifestly unfair and unrepresentative,” noting that several major groups—including One Family, Roots, and others—were not invited to participate.
He demanded that the Ministry disclose which groups voted for the NJC, adding that JCNP currently has 22 registered groups on its roster, including top-tier Division A organizations such as the Shell Saxons Superstars, One Family, Roots, and the Valley Boys.
The JCNP also claims that the Ministry reneged on an agreement reached during a September 9 meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister, attended by Attorney General Ryan Pinder and former Court of Appeal President Dame Anita Allen.
At that meeting, the JCNP says both sides agreed in principle that it would continue managing the 2025 Boxing Day and 2026 New Year’s Day parades, and that a Memorandum of Understanding would be drafted to formalize that understanding.
“Between September 9 and October 1, the Ministry has somehow conducted an about-face from its previously agreed position,” the letter states. “This decision was made without consultation or notice to the JCNP, and even more concerningly, without any formal communication prior to the public announcement.”
The JCNP warns that the Ministry’s decision jeopardizes major sponsorship agreements with both ALIV/Cable Bahamas and Commonwealth Brewery Limited (CBL). Under its five-year contract with ALIV, signed in 2022, JCNP is due to receive $355,000 in remaining payments through late 2026. Similarly, its four-year deal with CBL—signed earlier this year—has $335,000 in remaining payments through 2028.
The letter also notes that JCNP has already spent $57,000 upgrading its digital scoring system, bringing potential losses to roughly $747,000 if the Ministry’s decision stands.
Miller said unless the Ministry reverses its decision within seven days, the JCNP will proceed with plans to host its own privately funded Junkanoo parades on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
He emphasized that the JCNP receives no government funding for parade management—only groups receive subventions—and that private parades may be the only way to honor its sponsorship obligations.
“This decision was not arrived at lightly,” Miller wrote. “Our corporate sponsors have advised that unless the Ministry returns to the status quo, the only way we would not be in breach of our sponsorship agreements is if we have our own private parades.”
The JCNP requested a meeting with the Ministry to discuss logistics, including seating, security, and other arrangements for potential private events. Copies of the correspondence were also sent to Prime Minister Philip Davis, Attorney General Ryan Pinder, and several Junkanoo group leaders and corporate partners.
The Ministry’s move to place the NJC in charge marks a major shift in how the nation’s largest cultural events are managed.
The JCNP has overseen parade operations for more than two decades, including rules enforcement, scoring, and logistics for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades. If not resolved, the standoff could lead to two competing Junkanoo parades in New Providence this December — a first in modern Bahamian history.
