The Bahamas is known for Junkanoo parades held on New Year's Day after New Year's Eve celebrations.
Junkanoo is a Bahamian street parade featuring elaborate costumes, music, dancing, cowbells, whistles, drums, and competitive performance groups. The largest and most famous parade takes place in Nassau, where participants move through the streets in the early hours of January 1. A second major parade is traditionally held on Boxing Day, December 26.
The festival's origins are connected to the history of enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and to traditions of music, masking, procession, and temporary freedom during holiday periods. Historians discuss the precise development of the name and form, but Junkanoo is firmly established as a central expression of Bahamian cultural identity.
Groups compete in categories such as music, costume, and performance. Large costumes may be built from crepe paper, cardboard, fabric, and other materials, and preparations can take months. The parade is therefore more than a countdown event: it is a major cultural and artistic celebration.