Junkanoo 2026/27: Dates (Dec 26 to Jan 1) and Fares

Name: Junkanoo 2026/27
Start: 2026-12-26
End: 2027-01-01
Location: Nassau

When is Junkanoo 2026/27?

Junkanoo 2026/27 runs December 26 to January 1, 2027. It's held on the same dates every year. The big day is Boxing Day parade, Saturday, December 26, 2026.

2026/27December 26 to January 1, 2027Every year

2027/28December 26 to January 1, 2028Every year

How the dates are set: Parades before dawn on Boxing Day (26 December) and New Year's Day (1 January).

See every event in December 2026

Junkanoo schedule

January 1, 2026: The New Year's Day Junkanoo Parade started at 2:00 AM, according to the live broadcast listing.
In the parade: Bands of masqueraders bring drumming, dance and parading. In The Bahamas it has grown into a formal, organized parade with intricate costumes, themed music and official prizes in various categories.

Sources: youtube.com, en.wikipedia.org

History of Junkanoo

Junkanoo originated during the period of African chattel slavery in British American colonies. In The Bahamas it is said to date back to the 1700s. Where the word comes from is disputed: one theory points to a folk hero named John Canoe, another to the French gens inconnus (unknown people), since revelers wear masks.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Junkanoo: questions people ask

What time does the New Year's Day Junkanoo parade start?

The January 1, 2026 parade started at 2:00 AM.

What is Junkanoo?

It is a festival of masquerade, drumming, dance and parading that began during African chattel slavery in British American colonies. It is practiced most notably today in the Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize.

Where did Junkanoo originate?

The festival is believed to have begun in the Bahamas, but evidence points strongly to Jamaica, from where it spread through the Caribbean as early as the 18th century.

What is the Junkanoo Summer Festival?

It is a separate Nassau event held once a year at the start of summer, usually on Saturdays in July. Hotel rooms are in high demand with surging prices on festival days.

Sources: youtube.com, en.wikipedia.org, carnifest.com

About Junkanoo

A pre-dawn street parade of drums, cowbells and costumes born from enslaved ancestors' one holiday off.

Junkanoo erupts on Bay Street in the small hours of December 26th and again on January 1st, with elaborately costumed groups competing to driving goatskin drum rhythms. The parade peaks between 2am and sunrise as judges score categories from music to costume design. It is loud, cold before dawn, and unmistakably Bahamian.

Know before you go

Grandstand seating along Bay Street can be purchased in advance, or watch free from the sidelines.
The parade starts around 2am, dress warm and expect it to run for several hours.
Nassau airport is about 20 minutes from downtown and Bay Street by taxi.

More like this

See all events