GOOMBAY ON CHARLOTTE STREET

Last Saturday, all who were present bore witness to the dynamic launch of the first Charlotte Street Spring Festival.  The event, which was held on the first day of Spring, was deemed an overnight success.

Designer Dana Tynes, one of many Bahamians who attended the festival noted that the Charlotte Street Spring Festival, “looks like something that will become a tradition.”  Charlotte Street north he continues, “Is somewhere for you to go downtown on Saturdays to relax and get something to eat.  The live music was ‘off the chain’ – especially the Junkanoo!”   The ‘Junkanoo Super Group’ led by artist Stan Burnside, the Ministry of Tourism’s Junkanoo consultant, was by far the greatest entertainment draw of the day at the 1st Charlotte Street Spring Festival.  [Photo: Bobby Bower]

The Charlotte Street Spring Festival has been compared by other Bahamians who visited the event as akin, to the Goombay festivals of old.  The Spring Festival is the product of a united effort between The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and the merchants of Charlotte Street north.  Their collective dream is to revitalize the downtown area for Bahamians and to make Charlotte Street a tourist destination point that visitors plan for when they are coming to The Bahamas.  Other sponsors include the Nassau Tourism and Development Board and Pepsi (Cola) Bahamas.

Every Saturday for the next seven weeks Charlotte Street north will become a pedestrian mall as the road is blocked off to all vehicular traffic.  The Festival which is geared towards Bahamians and visitors alike, features food, discounts and giveaways, gift items, and live entertainment all day by popular local performers.

Among the merchants operating on Charlotte Street north is German businessman Michael Krotwaart, owner and manager of Segafredo (Zanetti) Espresso, an Italian coffee shop.   During the festival Mr. Krotwaart had stylish red and black tables and chairs lining the exterior of his café for visitors to have a comfortable seat while absorbing the day’s highlights. “I am excited to see how it (the festival) goes,” he says.  “Nassau needs, more to do in the downtown area – like a South Beach and New Orleans, or in European villages, like France.”   A young visitor is thrilled by what she sees with the Bahamian produced, hand crafted straw gifts at Treasures By The Sea during the 1st Charlotte Street Spring Festival.  [Photo: Bobby Bower]

Like most merchants on the strip, Mr. Krotwaart, has extended his store hours and he vows to keep his shop open, “as long as there is traffic.”  In keeping with the Bahamian theme, Sigafredo also prepared food for the native tongue like steaks with Creole sauce and mahi-mahi with plantain.

Connie, a cruise passenger, who was in town on her fifth trip to the Bahamas, remarked, “It’s (Charlotte Street north) so different, I did not even recognize it – very nice.”  She said, “It was the music that drew me on to Charlotte Street.  I have eaten some jerk chicken and conch fritters, and I am really enjoying the music.”  Most importantly she added that this is the kind of activity, a taste of the indigenous Bahamian culture, that people have in mind when they travel to The Islands.  There were vendors galore offering everything from Bahamian ice cream and candy, to drinks and food favourites at the 1st Charlotte Street Spring Festival.  Pictured here is the team from Hard Rock Café serving up conch fritters to the delight of guests.  [Photo: Bobby Bower]

By far, the biggest draw of the day, rivaled only by the ever popular Royal Bahamas Police Force Pop Band, was the Junkanoo rush out.  Artist Stan Burnside, Junkanoo consultant to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism assembled what he termed as a, “Junkanoo Super Group,” which was made up of some of the best artists from all the major local groups combined, including members of the Valley Boys and the Saxons.  Mr. Burnside says, “As our Minister of Tourism touts, “Junkanoo is our party and the whole wide world is invited.””

He continues, “The Charlotte Street Spring Festival allows us to show off ‘we self’ and it is another opportunity for us in Tourism to put our best foot forward.  Us Bahamians will show that we can sell the Bahamas unlike anybody else.”  This fact was crystallized by the colourful costumes, pounding goatskin drums, resounding horns and the clamour of the cow bells.  Many Bahamians and tourists in the audience participated in the rush by marching up and down along the street with the ‘Super Group’, beating the drums and dancing during the Junkanoo set.

The Charlotte Street Spring Festival will continue this and every Saturday on Charlotte Street north from noon to midnight through May 8th.  For more information, contact Christine Ferguson at The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism @: e-mail: clferguson@bahamas.com or call (242) 323-1853-6.